Staging Dram Scotland

Tag: David Stein

23,600 Scottish jobs on the line as 87% of pubs say 2-metres not viable

It won’t be financially viable for nearly nine out of 10 pubs in Scotland to open on 15th July if social distancing is not reduced to 1-metre. This puts 23,600 jobs on the line according to a new survey conducted by the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SPBA) in conjunction with other members of the licensed trade. The news comes as official figures put Scotland’s unemployment at 4.6%, the highest rate in the UK. 

The survey, which covered 318 Scottish pubs, over the period 11 June – 14 June 2020, (around 7% of the total), found that it would not be financially viable for almost nine out of ten landlords to reopen their doors if the two-metre distancing guidelines were still in place – potentially leading to the direct loss of over 23,600 jobs within the trade.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, said, “The results make for stark reading. Not only will 87 per cent of those surveyed be unable to open, but those that can trade at the two-metre mark will also potentially have to let 52 per cent of staff go. This would lead to over 23,600 jobs losses in our sector alone.

“Keeping a two-metre rule in place simply does not make financial sense and the fall out will see the loss of thousands of jobs affecting both the Scottish economy and local communities in the process.

“We have seen within the survey that whilst implementing a controlled environment to protect both customers and staff and dropping social distancing measures to one metre, we will see 82 per cent of licensed businesses being able to open their doors to the public and provide a much-needed boost to the industry.

The SBPA and wider group which includes Star Pubs and Bars, Belhaven, Hawthorn Leisure, Admiral Taverns, Punch Taverns, Caledonian Heritable Ltd, DRG, Buzzworks, Montpeliers, Manorview, Signature Pubs, Lisini and Caledonia Inns are keen to point out that as responsible license holders, not only could venues be classed as ‘controlled environments’ that would allow them to track and trace customers through a number of different methods – over 85 per cent of those surveyed planned to use PPE for staff when able to reopen.

Lisa Wishart, MD of the Lisini Pub Co, which operates venues such as Angels in Uddingston, comments, “Here at Lisini’s, it is simply not viable for us to reopen on 15 July due to the current social distancing rules. However, if we followed the World Health Organisation’s directive, not only could we provide a safe environment for our patrons, we would be able to safeguard most of our employees’ livelihood’s as we return to a new normal post Coronavirus.”

Gavin Stevenson from Gellions in Inverness said, “With two-metre social distancing our nearly 200 capacity venue reduces to just 11 people. In a normal year, our profit margin is less than 5 per cent of turnover and obviously, there is no way for us to get even close to financial break-even with such huge reductions in trade. We’d lose more money opening under the proposed restrictions than we would staying closed.”

Nic Wood from Signature Pubs added, “We cannot operate all of our businesses with 2m social distancing restrictions, and closures in the sector will sadly continue with bars and restaurants mothballed beyond the end of furlough. We are not ignoring the transmission rate or the health issues, merely stating that 2m makes some businesses unviable.”

Emma McClarkin concluded, “What’s clear is that the majority of licensed premises will simply not be able to operate under the proposed two-metre distancing, leading to mass unemployment within the sector. We are calling upon the Scottish Government to both reassess the current measures in place if they wish to kick-start the industry and work with us to safeguard over 23,600 jobs.”

The survey showed: 

  • If the 2-metre restriction remained in place, on average 52.59% of staff in the pub sector are expected to be made redundant. This is 23,648 jobs in Scotland.
  • Only 12.8% of pubs believe it is financially viable to open at 2-metres, in contrast, 82% of pubs believe it is financially viable to open at 1-metre.
  • The survey covered 318 of Scotland’s 4,647 pubs equating to around 7% of the total number.

Comments from around the country:-

  • Kevin McGee from Athletic Arms ‘Diggers’, in Dalry, Edinburgh said:

“I’m bored silly, I’m a people person and can’t wait to open the doors. If it’s 2-meters it’ll most likely be me working with one other on reduced trading hours. In contrast, a 1-meter difference and we can get more staff off furlough, trade longer, start to pay off some bills and support the local community again.”

  • Stuart McPhee from Siberia Bar & Hotel in Aberdeen said:

“While we have a vast floor space and a versatile outside area within Siberia, the ability to service this at two-metre social distances takes what would normally be three people in a kitchen down to one on a given shift, and four people behind the bar when busy halved to two.

“Regardless of how many people you can fit outside or inside customer wise, there is a direct impact on what kind of service our staffing levels can achieve. Where we will try and maintain our staff by diversifying our service style and rotating in teams post-Covid, it is clear that tough operational choices lay ahead.

“We have solutions and we have things we can implement such as entry temperature checks, PPE & disinfectant fogging now that can make our environments COVID secure and regulated, that could mean we as an industry could be permitted to lower the distance to survive and prevent further job losses across the sector.”

  • David Stein from Cafebar 1807 in Linlithgow said:

“While I believe we need to listen to the experts, it will be completely unviable for us to open in any capacity until we have a 1m rule.”

  • Mo Clark from Kained Holdings, who operate several bars including Lebowskis in Edinburgh and Glasgow said:

“The current guidelines of 2m distancing would not allow for the majority of bars to operate profitably. Reducing some sites to 40 per cent trading capacity which simply does not work under most business models.

“The focus for bars and restaurants across the sector which wish to remain viable will be to reduce their cost base which will undoubtedly lead to significant redundancies. Those who are unable to find a path through this will have to shut their doors completely, further increasing the inevitable redundancies.

“Particularly, where vertical drinking has made a business viable, the continuation of the 2m distancing means that many businesses couldn’t even open their doors, let alone be profitable.”

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A winning team – David & Kirstie Stein

Business is in David Stein and his sister Kirstie’s blood – the brother and sister team not only run an award-winning butchers, David Stein Butchers in Bathgate – but also have an award-winning delicatessen and wine business, off-sales, a cafe and two further cafe-bar’s – 1912 in Bathgate and the most recently opened cafe-bar 1807 in Linlithgow, both of which are also award-winning!

I caught up with David, and manager Gary, at his Cafebar 1807 in Linlithgow. The bar, formerly The Auld Hole in the Wall, opened earlier this year, and has been transformed from a traditional drinking howff into a stylish bar and restaurant that would not look out of place in any city centre.

However, when it comes to David, the phrase “Butcher, baker, candlestick maker’ has resonance – because although he was brought up a son of a butcher, and still runs the butchers with his sister, he has spent the last 35 years as a printer. He explains, “I never wanted to be a butcher directly, but I would work at night as a printer and during the day I would concentrate on how to develop the family business.”

David opened his first small restaurant 15 years ago called The Cottage. He explains, “It was at the time of the celebrity chef and I opened it with a friend. The idea was to promote the butchers by selling great steaks there. It also allowed us to learn about the hospitality side of the business.”

That was one of the reasons that he and Kirstie opened Cafebar1912 in Bathgate five years ago. Says David, “It seemed like a natural progression. And a few of the people that we had working in the butchers came down and worked at the cafe. It has worked really well. Our Bathgate business is very successful.”

He is hoping to replicate that success with Cafebar 1807. It was a mutual business contact who suggested to the owner, Colin Hilditch of Hilditch Inns, that David might be a potential candidate to take on the lease.”

Says David, “Colin and I knew each other because our families have both run businesses in this area for more than 40 years. I thought we could really make a go of it and Colin gave us that opportunity. He also supplied with me all the info and just about gave me carte blanche with the venue, although he did request that we kept the bar in the same place, and I’m glad we did that now. It has become a real focal point.”

David continues, “It was a very traditional venue which showed sports, but our idea was to make it user friendly. We are free of tie and now we are the first pub in West Lothian to sell Paolozzi lager on draught, and we also sell a lot of Moretti. They have never let me down. When it comes to spirits we keep it premium and I am also fussy about our coffee which I think is the best around – Cafe Milano.”

His manager Gary adds, “I worked for the previous owner, and the transformation has been amazing. For instance, in the past, we always had door stewards on the door at the weekend. When David told us his plans for the venue, I wasn’t sure that we would get away with not having door stewards on… but he was right. As soon as we opened as Cafebar1807 and people realised that it was quite different with table service, a contemporary look and a focus on food, the regulars moved on quite naturally.”

Says David, “We wanted to make the bar contemporary, with a more European feel, and of course, we wanted it to be female friendly.” He adds, “We did all the interior fit-out ourselves. From picking the paint to making the tables. Although we did bring in a sound engineer to put the sound system in and a fabricator to do the metalwork.”

The cafebar, which David says is on the best site in West Lothian, has a window area with a waist-high bench which allows people to sit and enjoy a drink while the world walks by. David explains, “If you sit people in the window it makes the place look busy, but these are also seats which people really like because they can see everything that’s going on.”

The bar which was traditional mahogany has been painted pale grey and a modern metal shelving unit which is used to hang glassware on, while the wood panelling has all been painted a similar light colour. Immediately in front of the bar, there is a wooden floor with table and chairs where people can dine, and where they can sit with their dogs.

The dog-friendly aspect is important. Says David, “In Bathgate, we tried to introduce a dog-friendly culture after a couple of years, but when we surveyed our customers the idea got a 50/50 response. So we didn’t go with it, but when we opened here we decided to make it friendly from the get-go, and that has really worked. We don’t allow dogs in after 7ish and we also keep them off the carpeted area, but that apart, they are welcome. And really with this being such a dog walking area, it was only sensible. Before we opened there were only two bars in Linlithgow who took dogs. Now pretty much every pub here is dog-friendly. When I was building this place, I was watching thousands of people walking their dogs so it was really a no-brainer.”

Certainly on the day I was there, four dogs were comfortably seated with their respective owners who were enjoying lunch, (the owners, that is)!

David is delighted with the way the business has developed at Cafe 1807. He tells me, “When I walk in here on a Saturday night I get goosebumps, because it is running just the way I like it. When I walk through the door I want to see certain things – I want the music and lighting to be right and I want to see the staff moving about in the right way. He explains, “I go all over the place – Manchester, Liverpool, London you name it and I am always looking at the way things are run and what they look like. But honestly, when I walk in here on a Saturday night I know that we have got it right. We are also fortunate that we can supply the meat from our very own butchers – having good produce is the holy grail of the restaurant business, and we are very fortunate in that our supply chain is excellent. We’ve also got the added benefit of being able to manage our portion control because it comes prepared that way directly from the Butcher.”

Another practice that has stood David in good stead with the hospitality side of the businesses is good hygiene practice. He says, “Scottish butchers are the most highly regulated for hygiene in the whole of Europe, and we have continued this ethos in our cafebars.”

But perhaps the biggest difference with David and Kirstie’s businesses is that they have been taking care of customers for 40 years. As a result, customer service comes naturally and they try to impart this to their staff with ongoing training. Says David, “I think our customer service really is what makes us stand out from our competitors. We’ve taken the customer service ethos from our butchers and deli and tweaked it a bit. We don’t muck about if a customer has a complaint – whether we are in the wrong or not – they don’t pay. It’s not worth ruining our reputation for the price of a meal. People complain in threes – one thing goes wrong but they need to find another two things to justify it. I have a saying… ‘Glad, sorry, sure… I’m glad you told us and I’m sorry it happened, but I’m sure we can fix it’.”

He continues, “To be honest, I man and operate my bars the way I would like to be served, and I like good service. Before we opened here [1807], we really trained our staff – we put them into Bathgate and as I use the same till system and same booking system there as here and despite the first three weeks being chaos here as the customers and staff got used to the new place, the staff were brilliant. Gary and Kieran, the other manager, have really helped too and have helped grow the business here. Gary adds, “I can honestly say the staff we now have here are the best team of people that I have worked with.”

If being a butcher, bar and restaurant operator and printer were not enough to keep him busy, David is also a former singer in a rock band and as a result, he puts on a lot of live music in both his venues. Says David, “We put on more than 300 gigs a year! I’ve only three rules… no backing tracks, no Oasis and no Coldplay.”

Going forward, David is already on the lookout for his next venue. He says, “Kirstie and I are partners but she very much concentrates on the butchers and off-sales side of the business and she has got very good at dealing with suppliers. She has a keen interest in gin – she’s become a bit of an expert. I used to do that, and that is how I got to know so many reps, but now I concentrate on the bar and restaurant side. I love it. But I don’t just like my own places, I love going to see other people’s places too. I’m definitely ready for another place now – and I am on the lookout.”

As well as being on the lookout for a new place the team are celebrating winning an Observer award. Says David, “As a small business, we like to enter awards and we have been very fortunate to win a few. Just recently we won an Observer food award, and it was the 5th year in a row that we reached the finals – in fact, we have more Observer awards than any other company in the UK.”

I cannot imagine these will be the only awards that David and Kirstie will pick up going forward.

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A WINNING TEAM

Business is in David Stein and sister Kirstie’s blood – the brother and sister team not only run an award-winning butchers, David Stein Butchers in Bathgate but also have an award-winning Delicatessen and wine business, off-sales, cafe and two further Cafebar’s – 1912 in Bathgate and the most recently opened Cafebar 1807 in Linlithgow, both of which are also award-winning!

I caught up with David, and manager Gary, at his Cafebar 1807 in Linlithgow. The bar, formerly The Auld Hole in the Wall, opened earlier this year, and has been transformed from a traditional drinking howff into a stylish bar and restaurant which would not look out of place in any city centre.

However when it comes to David the phrase “Butcher, baker, candlestick maker’ has resonance – because although he was brought up a son of a butcher, and still runs the butchers with his sister, he has spent the last 35 years as a printer. He explains, “I never wanted to be a butcher directly, but I would work at night as a printer and during the day I would concentrate on how to develop the family business.”

David opened his first small restaurant 15 years ago called The Cottage. He explains, “It was at the time of the celebrity chef and I opened it with a friend. The idea was to promote the butchers by selling great steaks there. It also allowed us to learn about the hospitality side of the business.”

That was one of the reasons that he and Kirstie opened Cafebar 1912 in Bathgate five years ago. Says David, “It seemed like a natural progression. And a few of the people that we had working in the butcher’s came down and worked at the Cafe. It has worked really well. Our Bathgate business is very successful.”

He is hoping to replicate that success with Cafebar 1807. It was a mutual business contact who suggested to the owner, Colin Hilditch of Hilditch Inns, that David might be a potential candidate to take on the lease.”

Says David, “Colin and I knew each other because our families have both run businesses in this area for more than 40 years. I thought we could really make a go of it and Colin gave us that opportunity. He also supplied with me all the info and just about gave me carte blanche with the venue, although he did request that we kept the bar in the same place, and I’m glad we did that now. It has become a real focal point.”

David continues, “It was a very traditional venue which showed sports, but our idea was to make it user friendly. We are free of tie and now we are the first pub in West Lothian to sell Paelozzi lager on draught, and we also sell a lot of Morreti. They have never let me down. When it comes to spirits we keep it premium and I am also fussy about our coffee which I think is the best around – Cafe Milano.”

His manager Gary adds, “I worked for the previous owner and the transformation has been amazing. For instance, in the past, we always had door stewards on the door at the weekend. When David told us his plans for the venue I wasn’t sure that we would get away with not having door stewards on… but he was right. As soon as we opened as Cafebar1807 and people realised that it was quite different with table service, a contemporary look and a focus on food, the regulars moved on quite naturally.”

Says David, “We wanted to make the bar contemporary, with a more European feel, and of course we wanted it to be female friendly.” He adds, “We did all the interior fit-out ourselves. From picking the paint to making the tables. Although we did bring in a sound engineer to put the sound system in and a fabricator to do the metalwork.”

The cafebar, which David says is on the best site in West Lothian, has a window area with a waist-high bench which allows people to sit and enjoy a drink while the world walks by. David explains, “If you sit people in the window it makes the place look busy, but these are also seats which people really like because they can see everything that’s going on.”

The bar which was traditional mahogany has been painted pale grey and a modern metal shelving unit which is used to hang glassware on, while the wood panelling has all been painted a similar light colour. Immediately in front of the bar, there is a wooden floor with table and chairs where people can dine, and where they can sit with their dogs.

The dog-friendly aspect is important. Says David, “In Bathgate, we tried to introduce a dog-friendly culture after a couple of years, but when we surveyed our customers the idea got a 50/50 response. So we didn’t go with it, but when we opened here we decided to make it friendly from the get-go, and that has really worked. We don’t allow dogs in after 7ish and we also keep them off the carpeted area, but that apart they are welcome. And really with this being such a dog walking area, it was only sensible. Before we opened there were only two bars in Linlithgow who took dogs. Now pretty much every pub here is dog-friendly. When I was building this place I was watching thousands of people walking their dogs so it was really a no-brainer.”

Certainly, on the day I was there four dogs were comfortably seated with their respective owners who were enjoying lunch. (the owners that is)!

David is delighted with the way the business has developed at Cafe 1807. He tells me, “When I walk in here on a Saturday night I get goosebumps because it is running just the way I like it. When I walk through the door I want to see certain things – I want the music and lighting to be right and I want to see the staff moving about in the right way. He explains, “I go all over the place – Manchester, Liverpool, London you name it and I am always looking at the way things are run and what they look like. But honestly, when I walk in here on a Saturday night I know that we have got it right. We are also fortunate that we can supply the meat from our very own butchers – having good produce is the holy grail of the restaurant business, and we are very fortunate in that our supply chain is excellent. We’ve also got the added benefit of being able to manage our portion control because it comes prepared that way directly from the Butcher.”

Another practice that has stood David in good stead with the hospitality side of the businesses is good hygiene practice. He says, “Scottish butchers are the most highly regulated for hygiene in the whole of Europe, and we have continued this ethos in our Cafebar’s. But perhaps the biggest difference with David and Kirstie’s business is that they have been taking care of customers for 40 years. As a result customer service comes naturally and they try to impart this to their staff with ongoing training. Says David, “I think our customer service really is what makes us stand out from our competitors. We’ve taken the customer service ethos from our butchers and deli and tweaked it a bit. We don’t muck about if a customer has a complaint, whether we are in the wrong or not, they don’t pay. It’s not worth ruining our reputation for the price of a meal. People complain in threes – one thing goes wrong but they need to find another two things to justify it. I have a saying… Glad, sorry, sure… I’m glad you told us and I’m sorry it happened, but I’m sure we can fix it.”

He continues, “To be honest I man and operate my bars the way I would like to be served, and I like good service. Before we opened here we really trained our staff – we put them into Bathgate and as I use the same till system and same booking system there as here and despite the first three weeks being chaos here as the customers and staff got used to the new place, the staff were brilliant. Gary and Kieran, the other manager, have really helped too and have helped grow the business here. Gary adds, “I can honestly say the staff we now have here are the best team of people that I have worked with.”

If being a butcher, bar and restaurant operator and printer were not enough David is a former singer in a rock band too and as a result, he puts on a lot of live music in both his venues. Says David, “We put on more than 300 gigs a year! I’ve only three rules… no backing tracks, no Oasis and no Coldplay.”

Going forward David is already on the lookout for his next venue. He says, “Kirstie and I are partners but she very much concentrates on the butcher’s and off-sales side of the business and she has got very good at dealing with suppliers and has a keen interest in Gin- she’s become a bit of an expert. I used to do that, and that, in fact is how I got to know so many reps, but now I concentrate on the bar and restaurant side. I love it. But I don’t just like my own places, I love going to see other people’s places too. I’m definitely ready for another place now – and I am on the lookout.”

As well as being on the lookout for a new place the team are celebrating winning an Observer award. Says David, “As a small business we like to enter awards and we have been very fortunate to win a few. Just recently we won an Observer food award. It’s the 5th year in a row that we have reached the finals – in fact, we have more Observer awards than any other company in the UK.”

I cannot imagine these will be the only awards that David and Kirstie will pick up going forward. n

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