HOSPITALITY FUNDING INFORMATION

The latest UK Government announcements on support measures available to pubs, from grants, loans and employee retention schemes; we've included the web links to help you navigate directly to where you need to go.

TODAY'S TOP VISITED

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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TAKEAWAY TRANSFORMATION ADVICE

From the practicalities of re-purposing your kitchen into a takeaway service to ‘how best’ to run a delivery service – see the top tips, transformation success stories and advice helping you with 'getting started'.

'GETTING STARTED'

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.

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