Buzzworks Holdings, has announced it will bring its flagship restaurant Scotts to Inverclyde, creating over 70 jobs for the town, and open at the new £19.2 million cruise ship visitor centre in Greenock towards the end of 2022.
It will be Buzzworks fourth Scotts restaurant, joining Scotts of Troon and Largs, as well as its newest Scotts, based in the East at South Queensferry, just outside Edinburgh.
Set to open at the new Greenock Cruise Ship Visitor Centre, currently under construction on the banks of the River Clyde, the restaurant will be the dynamic, family run business’s first venture in Inverclyde.
The new visitor centre is supported by UK and Scottish government investment through the Glasgow City Region Deal and is being delivered by Inverclyde Council.
With a significant seven figure investment from Buzzworks, the new restaurant venue will be designed by Jim Hamilton, featuring an open air rooftop terrace with panoramic views across the water and with capacity for 150 covers within the restaurant.
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, said: “Having been in the pipeline for over three years, this is another significant step forward in our continued growth strategy as we continue to branch out from our historical base in Ayrshire.
“The venue not only fits our ethos of enhancing communities through great hospitality, but will allow us to bring a new exciting dining experience to the area and help create numerous opportunities for the local community to work with a company that has ranked within The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For over recent years”.
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Buzzworks and their famous Scotts brand on board for the restaurant space within the new Greenock cruise ship visitor centre.
“This will not only bring a quality operator to Inverclyde and significant inward investment into the local economy but will also deliver a large number of jobs to the area”.
The dedicated Greenock cruise ship visitor centre feature a museum paying tribute to the late artist George Wylie, who worked as a customs officer in Greenock and lived in Gourock for many years and a dedicated arrival and departures hall for the many cruise ships that dock in the area. It is estimated that the development is expected to increase visitor numbers to 150,000 a year and provide a £26 million boost to the Scottish economy.
Buzzworks Holdings, is set to open its latest venture, The Fox, in Troon in the coming weeks
The casual live music bar, with a capacity of 160, will open on the site of former restaurant Papi Milano having undergone a significant refit over the last 4 months.
The new team working at The Fox will be led by Operations Manager, Johnny Blair who has worked on the Buzzworks portfolio for 10 years.
He said, “We’re proud to be investing once again in Troon, not only creating a further 20 jobs in Ayrshire, but bringing another exciting venue to the area. It has been a unique project to work on and we can’t wait to officially open the doors and welcome our first customers to The Fox, our modern take on your local friendly pub.”
Buzzworks, the family- owned business, currently operates a portfolio of thirteen venues including Scotts in Troon, Largs and South Queensferry, Vic’s & The Vine in Prestwick, Lido venues in Prestwick and Troon, The Tree House in Ayr, The Long House and The Duke in Kilmarnock, The Mill House in Stewarton, The Corner House in Kilwinning, The Coach House in Bridge of Weir and their newest venue, The Bridge Inn in Linlithgow.
The Buzzworks TikTok recruitment campaign that launched in late October has received over 653 job applications to-date and, with over 100 job applications each week, Buzzworks has set a target of 1,000 applications before the campaign ends in January.
The #ineedajob TikTok campaign, a UK hospitality first, is utilising content creators such as Scheiffer Bates, Scotland’s Steven McKell and 2020 Love Island winner, Paige Turley, to shine a light on the benefits of working within hospitality – and specifically at Buzzworks – through light-hearted video shorts. Users can then apply through a simple one-click process, or utilising the hashtag #ineedajob.
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, said: “The hospitality industry both in Scotland and across the UK is continuing to struggle with both recruiting and retaining talent. However, as we have seen through our campaign, there are many keen to kickstart their career within the sector, which is encouraging.
“Through our innovative campaign, we have been able to spotlight just how rewarding hospitality can be, along with the many benefits that come with working within a business such as ours, including flexible hours, great rates of pay, industry leading training both for front of house and kitchen roles, as well as the opportunity to grow their career wherever they wish to take it.
“By utilising the power of TikTok we have been able to reach a demographic who are time poor, but keen to work in a vibrant and exciting industry. What’s more, through our innovative and simple application process, we see applications come through at all times of the day or night, whilst the calibre of applicants is excellent.
“We look forward to continuing our campaign into 2022 and beyond, allowing young people the chance to see where a career in hospitality can take you and welcoming applications for all functions of the business.”
With TikTok’s popularity skyrocketing over the past year and over 60 per cent of its users born after 1996, customers and brands have been quick to embrace the social platform, however Buzzworks are the first to use it as a recruitment tool within hospitality in the UK.
Buzzworks Holdings, continues to show its commitment to the hospitality industry with its Black Friday initiative.
It means that 5% of sales from e-gifts and online gift cards purchased online today, the 26th of November, are going towards the family business’s chosen charity, Hospitality Action.
Buzzworks have been working with Hospitality Action since the start of the pandemic and have already donated over £15,000 worth of funding to the charity.
Hospitality Action provides a range of support services for people working within the hospitality industry, including a 24-hour hotline for advice, counselling session on stress, addiction and abuse, alongside grants for help with debt or short-term money concerns.
Kenny Blair, Managing Director at Buzzworks Holdings, said: “Black Friday is usually a time for snapping up deals on the countdown to Christmas, however, this year, we’ve decided to do things a little differently by supporting those in the hospitality industry who could really use a hand. Hospitality Action have done fantastic work in aiding our colleagues over the past 20 months and we’re delighted to continue supporting the work they do by offering a donation from our online gift card & e-gift sales this Friday.”
The donation will be applicable to online purchases only on Friday 26th November. E-gifts and online gift cards are available to purchase at https://www.buzzworksholdings.com/gift-cards/
It has been a year since the Scottish Hospitality Group’s SOS Our Jobs Campaign ran on digital screens across the central belt and what a year it has been. I actually think people are more stressed now than they were then due to having to cope with unprecedented demand and staff shortages. Perhaps we should be running a campaign – SOS Fill our Jobs or perhaps SOS Save our Sanity!
Many companies are focussing now on retaining the teams they have, but these teams too are under extreme pressure due to their workload. It is hardly surprising that many hospitality companies are still not operating 7 days a week. It kind of feels like we are going back to the old days when pubs didn’t open every day, closed at 10pm and closed for a few hours during the day. You will notice I didn’t say the ‘good’ old days!
COP26 – there has been no getting away from it. Not least because locals – ie Scots, were told to keep away from Glasgow city centre. I hear bar and restaurant owners saw bookings drop off dramatically. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that they did get a turn from delegates. Next month we will do a roundup on how you have found it – so let me know.
There is no doubt about it the nightclub industry has been pummelled by Covid and now that business is back it is now having to cope with bad PR due to the incidences of spiking. It is crazy to think that some people sink so low as to jab their peers. I am concerned that the ‘Girls Night In’ initiative, which caused a one night boycott, could grow arms and legs and this would affect not only clubs. This is an industry issue – it’s not new. If we had a fool proof solution we would have implemented it by now. Right now we need customers to be diligent and staff to be extra diligent. I am delighted to see that the NTIA hasa new campaign. Well done.
Buzzworks has always been a company that leads the way and last month it announced a Wellness Day for staff – everybody got the day off to participate in some fun activities with colleagues. It is also giving staff New Year’s Day off. They recognise it is important to consider the mental health of their colleagues. I think these types of initiatives, before long, will be the norm and not the exception.
I was very sorry to hear about the death of Walter Smith – I met him on quite a number of occasions (usually socially) and he was kind enough to come to the DRAM Awards a few years ago and present John Gilligan with his Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a gentleman, and a great supporter of the trade, as well as being in the trade. Our thoughts are with Ethel and the family and his multitude of friends.
Briefly to finish, Covid Passports – if the main reason for introducing them is to persaude youngsters to get jabbed, I have got news for the Government. I had an 18 year old complaining bitterly that he couldn’t get one at a drop-in recently – he was turned away. He told me that he had been quoted a six week wait period before he could get it! At least he wants to get it, he just can’t!
In a UK hospitality first, Scottish independent restaurant and bar operator Buzzworks Holdings, is to launch a major campaign on TikTok to aid recruitment across its 13 venues.
Targeting the popularity of the platform with Gen Z, the Kilmarnock headquartered business will use TikTok to meet the recruitment crisis facing the hospitality industry head on.
The pioneering #ineedajob campaign will run for three months, utilising content creators such as Scheiffer Bates, Scotland’s Steven McKell and 2020 Love Island winner, Paige Turley, to shine a light on the benefits of working within hospitality through light-hearted video shorts.
Through an innovative design aimed at a younger demographic, applying for a job will also be easier than ever before through a simple one-click process, or utilising the hashtag #ineedajob.
The campaign from Buzzworks, which has ranked within The Sunday Times Best 100 Best Companies to work for in the UK for the past five years, hopes to generate an influx of Gen-Z applications, TikTok’s biggest users, through showcasing both the benefits of working at the family-owned business, as well as working within hospitality in general.
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, said: “It has been a challenging time for the hospitality industry across Scotland and beyond recently and operators are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain talent. So much so, we are seeing both temporary and permanent closures of well known independent and chain restaurants.
“However, hospitality can be a vibrant and exciting career path and at Buzzworks, all team members can expect flexible hours, great rates of pay, industry leading training both for front of house and kitchen roles, as well as the opportunity to grow their career wherever they wish to take it.
“We hope this campaign will spotlight the benefits of working at our venues, as well as shine a positive light on the industry for young people keen to forge their own career path. Buzzworks look forward to receiving applications through this pioneering recruitment campaign.”
TikTok’s popularity has skyrocketed over the past year with the app surpassing three billion downloads worldwide and over 60 per cent of its users born after 1996. Customers and brands have been quick to embrace the social platform, however Buzzworks will be the first to use it as a recruitment tool within hospitality in the UK.
Buzzworks Holdings is living up to its reputation as one of The Sunday Times Best 100 Best Companies to work for in the UK having just created a Wellbeing Day for employees which saw the business close for one day and all 500 team members enjoy a day focussing on wellbeing and mental health. Now the company has also revealed it is closing the business on New Year’s Day to give all employees time to spend with their own families.
The business initially closed every venue in its portfolio at the start of October to allow its team the time to enjoy each other’s company, take part in outdoor activities and have a good time.
The activities included horse riding, paintballing, inflatable activities, boat trips and a spa day, mud run, tree top adventure and jungle rumble.
Lauren, a Buzzworks team member, said, “The Wellbeing Day was a fantastic experience from start to finish. After the uncertainty facing those working in hospitality over the past year and a half, alongside the various lockdowns we experienced, it was great to be able to take a day to focus on our wellbeing, whilst having fun and getting to know each other better.”
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, said, “We are really pleased with how well the introduction of our new Wellbeing Day went down with the team. Our goal is to create a happy and positive environment for everyone and seeing how much fun was had by all during the Wellbeing Day made all the hard work worth it.
“This is just one part of an ongoing programme of initiatives that support our people in work and at home. We can’t wait to plan our next wellbeing day and continue to give our staff the rewards and support they deserve.”
Following on from Wellbeing Day and in keeping with their wellbeing strategy, Buzzworks will also closethe whole business on New Year’s Day to allow workers to spend time with their loved ones.
Kenny added, “We’ve made the decision that we will be closing our restaurants on New Year’s Day for the first time. Despite it being one of the busiest dates for us, we appreciate all the hard-work our staff consistently put in, and want to ensure they can spend an extra special day with their families.”
The thirteen venues include Scotts in Troon, Largs and South Queensferry, Vic’s & The Vine in Prestwick, Lido venues in Prestwick and Troon, The Tree House in Ayr, The Long House and The Duke in Kilmarnock, The Mill House in Stewarton, The Corner House in Kilwinning, The Coach House in Bridge of Weir and their newest venue, The Bridge Inn in Linlithgow.
Buzzworks is currently ranked within The Sunday Times Best 100 Best Companies to work for in the UK for the fifth consecutive year. www.buzzworksholdings.com
Buzzworks Holdings, the group behind Scott’s, Lido and Vic’s & The Vine will close its entire business on Monday 4 October to introduce a new Wellbeing Day for its workforce.
Their 13 thirteen venues across Scotland will close for the day to give over 500 team members the opportunity to meet up, get to know each other in the great outdoors and take part in activities to help boost mental health and wellbeing.
During lockdown, the Buzzworks team raised £10k at their Lido Troon pop-up cafe. Half of this was donated to industry charity Hospitality Action, who assist those hospitality workers hardest hit by the pandemic, while the other half went towards the Buzzworks Staff Wellbeing fund. The company has doubled that total, giving their teams £10k towards next week’s Wellbeing Day.
Local teams on the ground were given free rein on how the funds should be spent, with the only premise being that the outcome will make people feel great and boost their wellbeing. Activities planned for next week range from treetop adventure courses, archery and mud runs, cycling around Millport, paintballing and crazy golf at Jungle Rumble
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, said, “We love asking our people for suggestions on what else we can do to create a happy, positive environment that stays with them after they finish their shifts and head home. The introduction of a Wellbeing Day is just one part of an ongoing programme of initiatives that support our people in work and at home. The two are intertwined and it’s something we are always mindful of. Now more than ever, it’s important that we all look after our own wellbeing so we in turn can look after those that matter most to us.
“Throughout lockdown so many of our people gave back to the local community by volunteering – either raising money for charities or by giving back time and donations of hot food. Now it’s time for us to give back to them and reward our people with a day where roles are reversed, they are the guest and the focus is 100 per cent on them!”
Thanks to a number of its mental health and wellbeing initiatives introduced over the past year, Buzzworks were recognised with the CIS Excellence Wellbeing in Hospitality Award in June.
In a bid to attract the next generation of recruits for the Scottish hospitality industry, Buzzworks, has unveiled a new initiative called One Good Turn, to help their recruitment drive while also giving back to customers.
It’s all about word of mouth and if an applicant mentions a customer’s name when applying to join their Front of House team, Buzzworks will be in touch after they’ve successfully completed their first three months to arrange a £50 Buzzworks gift card.
Kenny Blair, Managing Director of Buzzworks, said, “We are looking for passionate and talented people to join our amazing Front of House teams as waiting staff, bartenders, receptionists and managers.
“No experience is required for these roles as all necessary training is provided with the opportunity to learn whilst you earn. Whether you know someone who has previously worked in hospitality or are a complete beginner looking to seek a complete change of career, we’d love to hear from them.
“We pride ourselves on offering flexible working hours, a competitive rate of pay as well as generous tips on top of this. All of our rotas are created two weeks in advance and we offer a 40% staff discount.”
Kenny continued, “We know our customers are our biggest ambassadors and word of mouth has played a huge role in the success of our business to date, so our One Good Turn campaign extends this way of thinking and allows us to give a little something back in the process.”
Buzzworks Holdings will open The Bridge Inn in Linlithgow on Wednesday 1st September, following a refurbishment sympathetic to the character of the historic building that has also introduced contemporary features like a ‘new and improved’ beer garden.
Said Kenny Blair, Buzzworks Holdings MD, “We’re proud to be investing in Linlithgow, it is a fantastic town and we cannot wait to open our doors.
“The Bridge Inn has been a unique and exciting project to work on. We hope to have delivered a venue that locals can enjoy and be proud of for many years to come.
“The team are incredibly excited to get started and officially open the doors on Wednesday.”
Anyone interested in joining the Buzzworks team can check out a list of vacancies at www.buzzworksholdings.com/careers or call/WhatsApp Viv on 07514496387
Buzzworks Holdings currently manages thirteen venues including Scotts in Troon, Largs and South Queensferry, Vic’s & The Vine in Prestwick, Lido venues in Prestwick and Troon, The Tree House in Ayr, The Long House and The Duke in Kilmarnock, The Mill House in Stewarton, The Corner House in Kilwinning and The Coach House in Bridge of Weir.
A bonus pot worth £20,000 for employees and customers has been put aside by independent restaurant and bar operators Buzzworks in a bid to attract chefs into their kitchens and tackle a recruitment drought.
The referral incentive means that if a chef mentions it was a friend or family referral that urged them to apply – a monetary bonus could be on its way. As long as an offer of employment is made and they work within the business for at least three months, then the referrer will receive a generous cash sum directly from Buzzworks.
Bonuses range from £200 for a Commis Chef to £750 for referring a successful Head Chef candidate. For anyone referred that joins the team at Scotts South Queensferry or Buzzworks newest venue The Bridge Inn Linlithgow then the reward is doubled up to £1500.
Trevor Garden, Buzzworks Chef Director, said, “We are challenging the stereotypical negative perception of hospitality careers. We proudly offer benefits to all of our people focused on work-life balance including flexible working, four day weeks and paid overtime.
“As an ambitious business, we’re always striving to develop our menus and cooking techniques providing world-class equipment, fresh produce and offering bespoke training and development. We also have new venues on the horizon but desperately need to match new recruits to our current vacancies across Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and West Lothian in order for us all to thrive.
“As a people business which values every voice, we are looking to our own people but also our communities to refer motivated and talented individuals – and we’ve released an impressive bonus pot to reward and thank successful referrals.
“Whether you know a college graduate keen for their first step on the ladder, an established chef looking to thrive in a new environment or a novice in the kitchen seeking a complete career change – we’d love to hear from them.”
Candidates simply have to specify the friend or family member when applying and if they successfully complete their three-month probationary period, Buzzworks will be in touch with the referrer to arrange their cash bonus.
Interested chefs should visit www.belongatbuzzworks.com or call/WhatsApp Viv on 07514 496 387 to find out more.
Buzzworks, which has been named in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for consecutively for five years, offers flexible working with four day weeks available and paid overtime as well as an equal share of tips, 40% discount on all venue food menus, and excellent training and development programmes.
Buzzworks also provides access to Hospitality Action wellbeing services, a company wellbeing fund and Health Club with nutritional advice, weekly calls, outdoor training and fundraising events. Most recently, Buzzworks seamlessly integrated Wagestream, a leader in earned wage access, to its systems which offers increased flexibility and early access to 50% of earnings for individuals.
Buzzworks Holdings currently manages twelve venues including Scotts in Troon, Largs and South Queensferry, Vic’s & The Vine in Prestwick, Lido venues in Prestwick and Troon, The Tree House in Ayr, The Long House and Duke in Kilmarnock, The Mill House in Stewarton, The Corner House in Kilwinning and The Coach House in Bridge of Weir.
The latest addition to the Buzzworks portfolio is The Bridge Inn Linlithgow which is expected to open in summer 2021.
Mass vaccinations for all over-18s would end Scotland’s ongoing crippling lockdown measures, claim Scotland’s leading hospitality operators who are calling for the First Minister to move up on jabs and down on levels as Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that lockdown easing would be paused for three weeks to allow more time for people to be vaccinated. This means mainland areas will not move to the lowest level zero restrictions until 19 July.The hope is that the remaining rules will be lifted on 9 August.
“More jabs not only protect the NHS and lives, but also jobs and Scotland’s economy. The data shows that numbers are soaring among young adults and falling in older age-groups, which is a clear sign of the vaccination programme’s success,” says the Scottish Hospitality Group’s (SHG) spokesperson, Stephen Montgomery.
SHG members have offered to close their businesses to enable staff to get vaccinated en masse at suitable times when vaccine centres may be less busy. The offer has come after walk-in vaccinations for over 18s became widely available in England, however in Scotland drop in vaccination centres for over 18s are limited to select health boards.
Scotland’s hospitality sector supports a workforce predominantly under the age of 25, who are having to self-isolate under the current restrictions if they test positive. As a result, hundreds of Scottish pubs and restaurants and wider businesses are closing their doors, which Stephen Montgomery claims, “would be entirely preventable if we caught up with the vaccination programme in England.
“While large numbers of people in Scotland have still not had their first vaccination, Scottish businesses are needlessly closing. We see mass vaccination programmes happening south of the border, we now need to see that happening in Scotland.”
“If the Scottish Government can’t or won’t offer proper financial support for businesses that can’t trade viably, then mass vaccinations are the answer,” says Kenny Blair, managing director of Scottish hospitality chain, Buzzworks. “The majority of my team are under 25 and have not received a jab. They are the age-group that are now bearing the brunt of isolation. It not only means that they can’t work but is increases their anxiety, stress and ultimately their mental health.
“We would happily shut all of our premises for the day if that meant that we were adding another layer of protection both for our teams and our customers, so that our staff could get the jab.”
Buzzworks has secured a place on Leisure and Hospitality’s 20 Best Companies to Work For 2021 and Scotland’s 40 Best Companies to Work For 2021. Scoring 16th place in hospitality and 23rd on the Scottish list, Buzzworks is the highest ranked Scottish company within the Leisure and Hospitality list and in the top four or Scottish headquartered companies on Scotland’s 40 Best list.
To win a place on the Best Companies list, an index score is generated for businesses based on anonymous votes and feedback from employees – and only the highest scoring companies with a commitment to workplace engagement come out on top.
Supportive Managers who care about job satisfaction, confidence in leadership and a positive work life balance with holiday benefits were all highlighted as top-scoring factors for Buzzworks this year. In employee wellbeing alone, Buzzworks increased its score by 6% which takes it 4% above the Best Companies benchmark.
The Kilmarnock headquartered hospitality group also received a two star Best Companies accreditation, which recognises them as an ‘Outstanding Company to Work For 2021’.
Buzzworks MD Kenny Blair (pictured), said, “While securing a place on both lists, we’ve also achieved our highest ever completion rate for our people responding to the survey which demonstrates our commitment to team engagement. Keeping everyone informed but also ensuring their health and wellbeing has been continually supported is so important to us, but never more so than over the past year.
“We pride ourselves on supporting our people mentally, physically and financially. We’re a people business and they are central to our ongoing success and growth. It’s fantastic to be recognised on this prestigious list alongside some of the best known businesses in the UK.”
Buzzworks manages twelve venues including Scotts in Troon, Largs and South Queensferry, Vic’s & The Vine in Prestwick, Lido venues in Prestwick and Troon, The Tree House in Ayr, The Long House and Duke in Kilmarnock, The Mill House in Stewarton, The Corner House in Kilwinning and The Coach House in Bridge of Weir.
The latest addition to the company portfolio is Bridge Inn Linlithgow which is expected to open in summer 2021.
Buzzworks is also recruiting – those keen to apply or find out more about current vacancies should visit www.buzzworksholdings.com/careers.
I know it is hard to believe but it has only been six months since the Scottish Hospitality Group was formed. Today its voice reverberates around the corridors of Holyrood – as the group campaigns and demands answers from the powers that be.
Its formation was swift, and it came out of a need to have a ‘voice’. The group’s founders didn’t feel that they were being heard at government level. They were larger well-known businesses and yet they didn’t appear to have a voice and they were increasingly frustrated at the lack of knowledge that key politicians had with regard to the issues surrounding hospitality.
That frustration was voiced in a small ‘WhatsApp’ Group, that was originally set up by myself and Kenny Blair of Buzzworks. Its purpose, to begin with, was to share information and worries and to gather intel on what was happening with each other’s businesses. The small group grew to about 10 and Mario Gizzi of DRG suggested that the group actually activated itself physically and orchestrated a PR campaign to get their voice heard. This coincided with Stephen Montgomery, resigning as President of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association. The timing was right, and the Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) was formed with Stephen as its voluntary and unpaid spokesman. The SHG included Signature Pubs, Lisini, Caledonia Inns, Buzzworks, the DRG Group, G1, Manorview, Caledonian Heritable, Mor-rioghan pub group, Siberia Bar & Hotel, Montpeliers and the Townhead Hotel, who employ around 6000 staff.
With the day to day running of the group being done by Stephen, along with a small steering group, SHG appointed communications experts BIG to drive a PR campaign to highlight the issues and safeguard their collective interests at both a local and government level. And it wanted a seat at the table when it came to government. Since then, the group has, through its public relations campaign seen 1,600 pieces of coverage. There have been 1.7bn opportunities to see their views giving it the highest share of voice of media compared to other trade bodies – secured 39% of voice in Scotland, the 2nd highest in the UK.
Issues SHG have tackled have included “Rogue traders”. They didn’t want the whole trade tarred because of the actions of some. It wanted to emphasise that responsible licensees, who were doing the job right should be allowed to continue to do so. That got really positive feedback and lots of coverage.
It criticised the Government for not giving hospitality enough time to adapt to new guidance – the guidance was being issued on a Friday for implementation on a Monday, and at some stages overnight.
It campaigned for the removal of the music ban and it ran a petition which saw 23,500 sign it in one month. It supported and campaigned for the continuation of the rates relief for a further year and to keep VAT at 5% (as did other trade organisations).
In November SHG put together a survey and presented this to government. It showed the actual cost of opening and closing – and the losses that businesses were making every week even with the grants.
It has also been very vocal regarding hospitality being part of the solution not the cause of the problem and has pushed the information out that despite serving 1.8m people, and with 6,000 staff, last summer from 15th July to 30th September, had only 17 positive cases.
Relationships have been formed with party leaders, MSP’s and MP’s from all parties, at Holyrood and at Westminster. This has led to SHG questions being asked at First Minister’s briefings, and in the Chamber of Holyrood during debates. And it was part of the Tourism Taskforce Recovery Group – which has helped form a five-year plan for recovery. SHG have also been involved in giving evidence to Scottish Government committees, and Stephen will now be giving evidence at the Scottish Affair Committee in Westminster later this month.
Says Stephen Montgomery, “Throughout all our meetings we have warned politicians and civil servants of the seriousness of not consulting with the trade. We are a group of grassroots entrepreneurs who know the business of hospitality and know the implications of decisions being made. For instance, we told them that hospitality curfews would cause drinking at home – it did. We told them that the banning of music would cause drinking at home – it did.
“They may listen to our issues, but they still don’t get the problems we are having, or the simple mechanics of running a hospitality business, despite SHG inputting and giving the government a practical route to reopen. For instance, the frustrations in level 3 – last time round we had a 6pm close. This time we asked for 10pm because 6pm was totally unviable, and they knew that, and they have given us 8pm. We wanted alcohol outside without a meal, gave us that, but didn’t give us alcohol inside.
“There needs to be a go-to person in government for hospitality who understands the issues around hospitality. I’ve always believed that should be an individual, not a party political. This is important because hospitality is not the same as tourism.
“Hospitality has a part to play in making up tourism, but it is also separate, but Government don’t seem to get that. The needs and the business model are different. We have higher overheads than most other tourism businesses. Tourism encompasses everything from a highland gift shop to a visitor attraction on Mull to Edinburgh Castle– we can’t be under the same banner when it comes to support. The support we have seen to date has been disproportionate to say the least.
“We are a year-round industry – not just for holidays. Hospitality is an industry that comprises entities of food, beverages and social interaction. We have the best-looking castles, beautiful scenery and attractions, but unless you have pubs, hotels and restaurants there is not the same attraction – 73% of people coming to Scotland want to visit our pubs…”
He continues, “The next six months we will be concentrating on getting hospitality to the other side of the pandemic and promoting it in every way we can. We will continue to fight for the extension of business rates into 2022/23. That will be the date we start paying the rates on the assessment of 2016 and the business won’t be able to afford that. We want support for those that need it – rather than blanket support for everybody. Grants stop on 19th April, no matter what way you look at it, but many wet-led pubs, wedding venues, and nightclubs etc will have to remain closed.
“We will be pressurising the UK government to retain 5% VAT permanently, we will try and get the deposit return scheme pushed back another year, and more generally we are helping hospitality business operators get through what has without doubt been the worst time on record.
“The SHG has a website coming, and we will be inviting more people to get involved. We are different because we don’t pussyfoot about. The aim of SHG is to promote and protect the fantastic hospitality we have in Scotland – not just for ourselves, but for our employees, customers and tourists. We will look forward to working closer with Scottish Government after the elections, and hopefully in doing that, we will be able to get our sector back to some kind of normality, and back to doing what we do best, slainte”
A non-profit initiative from Troon café, bar and restaurant Lido has reached a fundraising milestone as it donates £5,000 to Hospitality Action – a charity that offers lifeline support and services to people working across the hospitality industry.
An increase in new dog owners and sustained daily walking habits for locals has contributed to the popularity of Lido Troon’s daytime pop-up, which offers takeaway breakfast, lunch, coffee and cakes from 9am – 4pm seven days a week.
The Troon pop-up has welcomed many regulars since it launched last month as well as several new faces of the four-legged variety picking up their very own pup-puccinos.
Lido-pop-up-team
As well as the donation to Hospitality Action, which Lido owner and operator Buzzworks has been an avid supporter of, additional profits have been allocated to supporting Buzzworks own people via the Buzzworks Wellbeing Fund.
Kenny Blair, Buzzworks MD, said, “Giving back to our people and charities of choice has always been high on our agenda so we’re proud to support them doing what we do best – providing world-class hospitality.
“It’s been a difficult year for our industry but I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support. We hope to hit our target of raising £10,000 for good causes through the Lido pop-up before dine-in restaurants reopen and we can welcome people back inside our venues.”
Lido Troon pop-up is in addition to the existing Lido To Go takeaway which continues to operate from 12pm Thursday – Sunday. Troon residents can order all their Lido favourites to go including wood-fired pizzas and indulgent desserts as well as freshly prepared cocktails or at home cocktail kits.
@LidoTroon on Facebook or @Lido_Troon on Instagram.
