LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TAKEAWAY ADVICE

From the latest GOV UK announcements on support measures available to pubs, including grants and employee retention schemes to the practicalities of re-purposing your kitchen into a takeaway service and ‘get stared’ with running a delivery service.

ENGAGING SPORTS FANS & CUSTOMERS

How can pubs help fans get their sporting fix during Covid-19 lockdown?See The Morning Advertiser's latest release, featuring comments from Screach CEO Robert Rawlinson on how operators can help fans and customers get their fix during the Covid-19 shutdown, from social media strategy to sparking sports debates.
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FOOD & DRINK COLLECTION

The free 'click and collect' online platform for pubs
With the non-profit organisation mypubshop, pubs can list their products and communicate with a readily accessible consumer market, securing revenue by offering bookable collection slots online. 
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Who is eligible to sign up to the free platform? ​

Any UK business who are selling/ going to sell ready-made food & drink, groceries and/or essentials to local communities, including pubs (free-trade, leased & tenanted or managed), local shops and stores.

Where do I get started with mypubshop?​

All you need to do is register for an account, once your details are all set up you will be able to upload the products you’d like to sell straight away, and the community will be able to order directly from your page. 

​To sign up and get started for free, click right here. 

VIRTUAL PUB QUIZ

How to host a virtual community pub quiz
Just because your pub is closed for sitting in, it doesn’t stop you hosting your own virtual pub quiz for your customers. See our tips for getting your quiz up and running. 
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What video app or platform should I use to host the pub quiz?

​When it comes to hosting, there are a lot of apps to choose form and it’s easy to get sucked in to using a newly emerged app that might not be right for you!

Facebook Live
If your pub/bar has a Facebook page, then the quickest and easiest way to host your quiz is with Facebook Live. The benefit of using Facebook, for many, is that your existing customers and local community are already present and easy to reach, with the ability to ‘post’ the live quiz on your business page, private group or even dedicated quiz event.

Starting a live video doesn’t just notify people who like your page or are ‘interested’ in your quiz event, but it keeps your viewers relevant to those people that you’re trying to reach, maximising engagement.

The nature of Facebook also allows participants to get involved with a live chat, or post and discuss before and after the quiz, allowing you to socially engage with your customers and encourage them to join again next week. In doing this, you’re continuing to raise awareness to potentially new customers and keeping at the forefront of your existing customers minds – which may pay dividends when your pub reopens.

To learn more about Facebook Live and tips for using it, click right here.

Zoom
For those looking for greater quiz engagement and interactivity, but still wanting a simple solution to use – Zoom may be for you.  Zoom is great if you’re wanting to see your participants over video which makes for a more interactive and wholesome community experience. Allowing you to host up to 100 participants at once, the app is ideal for most virtual community quizzes, with a whole host of additional features such as screen sharing (useful for quiz rounds that may use PowerPoint), group chat and the ability to mute all participants but yourself (the quiz master!).

​You can see all the features of the free version by clicking right here.

However, despite the free version allowing users to have an unlimited number of sessions, each session is limited to 40 minutes – but that’s not to stop you having a bathrooms and beverages break in between. If you like the sound of Zoom, you can download it by clicking right here. 

How should I design my pub quiz?

The design of your quiz is completely up to you, but here’s some tips that your may find useful:

Typically, to keep your audience engaged your quiz should aim to last around the 1-hour mark, this gives you time to have 5, 12-minute rounds (with 6 questions per round), leaving plenty of time for repeating/ explaining questions and thinking time for your participants.

Include a break at some point within your quiz to give everyone a chance for a bathroom and drink break, keeping participants from leaving during the quiz and missing questions.

Keep your rounds fresh and different. The classics work a treat, such as picture, music and general knowledge round. For using picture and video round (if you have time!), we recommend using Microsoft PowerPoint, this way you can share your screen and make the image/video easier to see.

To retain your viewers for the entirety of the quiz, we recommend going over the answers at the end of the quiz opposed to after each individual round, this way you’re building excitement and suspense before announcing the winner at the end of the quiz.
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The only downfall of a ‘virtual’ over a ‘real’ pub quiz is marking (and cheating!) – here you will have to trust your viewers, as without going to extreme measures, ensuring your scores are legitimate is near impossible! We suggest that you get participants to private message you their scores before announcing the winner, this way public competition and score fixing is limited.

Where can I find pub quiz questions? 

If lockdown has made you short of creative inspiration, here’s a few ideas and where you can find some ‘ready to go’ pub quiz questions:

General knowledge: a round everyone can contribute to and get involved in, plucking answers from deep in their minds that they never knew they had! From the longest dictionary words to the height of the Empire State building.

Who am I?: as the quiz master, you describe someone famous or well-known, leaving just enough clues for your participants to guess their full name.

Connect these images: pick five things that all have a common theme, asking your participant to guess what it is. It could be four footballers who have all played for the same football club.

Music round: play the first ten seconds of a song (or however long needed to make a reasonable guess) though your phone or PC, then get participants to guess the artist and the song name.

Anagrams: choose five words with the same theme and then scramble the letters, asking your participants to re-arrange the letters to guess the words.

Themed question rounds: you can pick whatever themes and questions you want, or why not let your participants choose before the quiz? If you’re looking for quick questions that are ‘ready to go’, click right here to see hundreds of up to date pub quiz questions. 

How can I let people know about the quiz and maximise participation? 

The best free way to raise quiz awareness during lockdown is via social media. The ability to create dedicated pub quiz events on platforms such as Facebook is effectively an advert that you can send to your friends and customers directly or share with a public post for all to see.

Some towns and villages may also have local community social groups, these are a great place to shout about your pub quiz and get the local community involved in something fun and different during the crisis.

Utilising community engagement will increase the reach of your social media posts, through likes, comments and shares to create a multiplier effect. To do this, you could post a picture of that week’s quiz winners congratulating them (and tagging them in it), which will encourage them to share the post to their wider connections where others can comment on the post, in turn raising the awareness of your quiz and driving participation.
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Offering the pub quiz as close to free will also maximise participation, reducing the ‘faff’ of sending wireless payments to get involved; if your pub quiz is free, you should include this in the event title which for some, may be the decider to take part in your quiz over others.

KEEPING YOUR PREMISES SECURE

What simple measures can be taken to deter thieves during lockdown?
As if being forced to close wasn’t bad enough, some pubs might now also face the risk of theft. We’ve put together a list of measures you can take to ensure your pub will not be easy pickings.
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#1 Reinforce all points of entry

If you have the materials to do so, take some time to reinforce the external doors to your premises, including cellar doors. An insecure door risks being an open invitation to passing criminals, so you should do everything you can to prevent anyone forcing their way in. If your inner doors also have locks, make sure you use them to slow down any potential burglar. Pay attention to all ground floor windows, especially ones that open.

#2 Remove valuables from line of sight

​Never underestimate how much of the contents of a typical pub could appeal to thieves. Tills are clearly a priority - leave them empty and open and remove all cash to a secure location. The same goes for charity boxes and tip jars. Then move on to securing your assets, including bottles of alcohol and technology such as TVs, tablets and POS screens. This might just mean moving them to a more secure part of the pub, such as a cellar, so they’re not visible to prying eyes. As a finishing touch, draw any curtains or blinds to prevent would-be thieves from eyeing up valuables from the outside.

#3 Check alarms and CCTV are working

​This might seem an obvious one, but you don’t want to discover you had faulty alarms or CCTV in the aftermath of a robbery. Double-checking the existing security measures might have been overlooked due to the speed at which pubs were told to shut their doors.

#4 Advertise the measures you have taken

Once you are comfortable with the steps you have taken to make your property safe and secure, advertise the fact. You can add signage to the doors or windows to say that you have removed alcohol and cash from the property. It’s a simple measure but could save you a lot of heartache - why would a burglar break in if there’s nothing worth stealing?

SWITCH TO TAKEAWAY PUB

What you need to know when making the switch to a takeaway pub
If you are considering keeping your pub open by serving takeaway food, this guide tells you everything you should consider beforehand.
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Am I obliged to convert my pub into a takeaway business?

Make no mistake, it is now illegal for any pub to have customers stay on its premises. Those that break these temporary laws face an unlimited fine and could even have their licence taken away.

It is essential to note that while the Government has made it easier to convert your pub to a food takeaway business, the same rule does not apply to alcohol. Pubs cannot serve alcohol to customers, even on a takeaway basis.

Whilst food is considered an essential item that the public must have access to during this crisis, alcohol is not.

How do I get food to the people’s homes?

At present, there are two routes that pubs can take to get food delivered to consumers; you can sign up an existing delivery network and its customer base or you can set up your own website and run your delivery service manually.

We are estimating that most pubs will opt for the first option as it is a relatively straightforward process and the set-up can take as little as a few days. Here is what you need to know about signing up for the biggest delivery networks in the UK market.​

UberEats
Like most of the technological delivery solutions on the market, UberEats allows customers to use their app to view a menu and place an order. The order will be then sent to your pub where you will prepare the food. Once the food is ready, an UberEats partner will arrive to deliver the food to your customers.

Getting started is simple - a description of the restaurant is required, as well as high-quality photos of the food. Once these have been provided, you will receive a tablet to kick-start the delivery process with the company.

Once you are up and running, a per sale admin fee and commission will be applied to each order. This is usually a percentage of the total order value.

If you’re considering partnering with UberEats, click right here to find out more.

Deliveroo
Branding itself as the UK’s favourite delivery partner, the set-up process for Deliveroo works in the same way as UberEats. You sign up, share information about your hot food offering, arrange a photoshoot and then you will receive a tablet to manage the takeaway delivery service.

If you’re looking at Deliveroo as your delivery partner, click right here to start the process.

Just Eat
A long-serving addition to the food delivery market, Just Eat is still a popular way for takeaway restaurants to get food to consumers. The service still boasts 12 million customers a month.

It’s also worth noting that with Just Eat, businesses can save up to £13,000 a year with exclusive partner discounts from wholesalers, utilities providers and insurers.

In terms of the set-up process, you will be required to provide a description of the business, as well as a form of ID, proof of ownership and a menu. You will then receive an Orderpad to start taking orders.

Importantly though, only parts of the country are covered by the restaurant delivery service and you may be required to provide your own drivers if your area is not covered. If you are interested in Just Eat, you can get started by clicking right here. 

How do I go about setting up my own website?

While this route may seem slightly more complicated, there are several technological solutions to help speed up the process which may be of use. They allow you to provide end-to-end takeaway management software from website creation, to order and delivery tracking. The options below allow you to run your own marketing and delivery service, so if you have that capacity, this may be a more cost-effective option for you and your business.

Vita Mojo
Vita Mojo gives consumers more freedom on what their food consists of, while also giving pubs a straightforward digital ordering platform. It also allows kitchen staff to aggregate orders from all channels into one place, allowing you to manage orders from a single screen. This option is particularly useful for tech-savvy pub owners who are interested in how AI and data can improve restaurant insights.

Gloria Food
GloriaFood is a free service with no admin fees or commissions to start trading - an attractive option for pubs in their current situation. This method wouldn’t necessarily drive as much traffic to the website though as an option such as Deliveroo or Uber Eats. If your business is in a rural area though and these companies don’t currently operate drivers there, this option may become more appealing and could work well alongside a provider like Just Eat.

What food and hygiene protocols should I follow?

It is essential as the UK fights the spread of the COVID-19 disease that pubs follow the necessary food and hygiene measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

As a rule, all of the above delivery management companies require an FSA hygiene rating of 3 or more and it might be worth brushing up food health and safety measures to ensure you comply.

If any member of the kitchen staff develops symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease, they should not be allowed to prepare food for consumers.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

What Government support is available to help pubs through the COVID-19 crisis?
This introductory article outlines the various schemes that have been put in place to help pubs ease the financial burden raised by the coronavirus.
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How do I receive a business rates 'holiday' and how much will this save me?

As an integral part of the hospitality industry, pubs in England will receive a business rates holiday in the 2020 to 2021 tax year. The good news for pub owners is that no action is needed to benefit from the scheme, it will automatically be applied to your council tax bill in April 2020.
 
If you’re wondering exactly how much this break will save you, the Government has developed a tool which can be used to calculate the figure. You can find it by clicking right here.

Are there any cash grants available for the hospitality sector and who is eligible?

​Cash grants, set out by The Retail and Hospitality Grant Scheme, will be made available to pubs in order to ease the financial burden caused by closures. As a grant, this money will not need to be paid back, but eligibility will be dependent on the size of the property.
 
Pubs in England with a rateable value of under £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000, while pubs with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000. This is another financial measure which requires no action on your part to get the ball rolling. Your local authority will write to you if you are eligible for this grant and outline the next steps. All questions relating to these grants should be directed to the councils themselves but you can read more about the funding by clicking right here.
 
In addition to these grants, there is a Small Business Grant Scheme available to pubs which are already in receipt of small business rate relief (SBBR) or rural rate relief (RRR). This is another one-off payment being dispersed by local authorities and will be to the value of £10,000. Guidance on this grant can be found by clicking right here.

What is the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme and how does it work?

In addition to grants being made available, the Government has also announced that interest-free loans of up to £5 million - for pubs and small to medium-sized pub chains - will be made available through the British Business Bank. A word of caution though; you will be expected to pay these back in full, and you should not consider borrowing any amount of money without some confidence that you will be able to pay the money back eventually.
 
Loans can be accessed through working capital such as loans and overdrafts and the Government will cover interest payments for the first 12 months. Unlike some of the schemes detailed above, the loan scheme is open to all pubs in the UK. You can find more information about it by clicking right here.

How can I avoid laying off employees and get help covering their salaries?

This is the most radical measure announced by the Government, and it is designed to prevent a wave of job losses.
 
Under the scheme, employees whose work is no longer needed - for example in a pub which has closed - will be considered ‘furloughed workers’. Their employers will be able to claim 80% of their salaries back from the Government, in order to keep them from being laid off.
 
Open to all pubs in the UK, the scheme will be administered by HMRC. The scheme is still a work in progress, with more details due to be released shortly. You can find more details about the scheme as it stands by clicking right here. As this is unveiled, we will be sure to keep you updated with the details required.
 
The same can be said for all of these measures. Be sure to check back for further details of the help available to pubs up and down the country, as we brace for the coming weeks and months.

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