Confidence at restaurants and pubs hit by coronavirus and new immigration rules

Confidence among the bosses of Britain’s pub and restaurant groups has been “fractured” by the double whammy of coronavirus and the Government’s new immigration policy, according to a new poll by the CGA.

A snap survey of close to 100 bosses, from small entrepreneurial operations up to the big corporates, found that 85% of senior executives across the out-of-home food and drink market said they were now “concerned” about the threat of coronavirus to their business, with 58% of leaders “very concerned”.

The survey also revealed that the majority are expecting a hit on sales, with 42% suggesting it will have an “extremely negative” impact and 51% saying it will be “quite negative”.

In addition, over half (51%) predict it will have an “extremely negative” impact on their profitability, with a further 44% suggesting it will be relatively negative.

A separate poll by CGA of consumers this week found that so far the public may not be quite as concerned, with 57% of consumers predicting that they will eat and drink out as much over the next three months as they currently do.

A spokesperson said: “However, concerns among pub, bar and restaurant operators about the outbreak, and also the Government’s announcement of tougher immigration rules, which has left a mere one in five leaders confident in their capabilities to recruit, train and retrain a workforce, has seen overall business confidence take a tumble.”