Celeb chef Tom Kerridge shares genius way pubs could stay open during second lockdown
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has shared his genius idea on how pubs could stay open during the second coronavirus lockdown
Chef and publican Tom Kerridge says pubs could survive by becoming libraries in the daytime.
Kerridge, 47, who owns three pubs including the two-Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Bucks, said pubs need new revenue streams.
He said: “We need to look at coffees and simple sandwiches, or do we need to set up as a community-based library, or a swap shop or hold different group meetings?”
In new BBC2 series Saving Britain’s Pubs, beginning on November 12 at 8pm, he also claims powerful “pubcos” “take advantage” of landlords.
Last night Kerridge added the industry was being “unfairly punished” by new lockdown rules.
Kerridge called on the nation to support their locals or risk losing them forever.
“Calling in for a quick pint might not seem like a big thing but if everybody did it – that’s what helps those pubs to survive. Because they are not making much money – I hope this show highlights how much money pubs don’t make.”
Despite the ongoing struggle for the industry, including the new threat posed by the pandemic, Kerridge is convinced that British pub culture will survive. “In the short term, we’re all up against it,” he sighed.
“However, in two or three years’ time there may be less pubs but that social interaction is something that will come back. That energy of what we want as human beings – there is no better place to get it than the community based pub.
“There’s a familiarity about pubs, there’s history, there’s heritage, there’s warmth, there’s character, there’s personality, there’s community – all of these things are not something you can just build into a business plan. They’re emotional attachments and that’s what makes pubs amazing.”
*Saving Britain’s Pubs, Monday 12 November, BBC2, 8pm.
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