Photo by Kelly Sikkema
Pubs Have ‘Beer-ly’ Survived During Lockdown
Dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ by the media, Saturday the 4th of July is the date that pubs and restaurants in the UK will finally be able to re-open. While this is great news for owners and diners and drinkers who have been missing their local, lockdown has been a tough time for the food and drink industry.
When social becomes a distant memory
In March, pubs and restaurants across the UK were ordered to close in a bid to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus which was sweeping the globe. The threat was deemed so serious that venues were given less than 48 hours notice of closure, leaving them no time to create a plan for the alcohol and perishables within the premises. Needless to say, this left around 150,000 pubs and restaurants with fridges full of perishable food and barrels full of beer – so, what happened to it all?
Taking orders
Once restrictions were lifted slightly, some lucky bars and restaurants were able to stay afloat by pivoting their businesses to provide takeaway food and drink. For many, this was a lifesaver as it not only meant that they could continue to receive income but, also, they could avoid wasting their inventory.
Unfortunately, not all restaurants were able to do this immediately and, so, it was a case of good news / bad news as UK food banks reported a surge in donations during the early stages of lockdown. Some restaurants also began initiatives to donate food to the homeless as has been practiced by coffee chain, Pret a Manger, for some years.
For a huge number of bars and pubs, the news wasn’t quite so good. Real ales and unpasteurised beers usually have a shelf life of less than nine weeks which means that, since lockdown began, around 70 million pints of beer have had to be thrown away. As many pubs are attached to a particular brewery, the disposal of the beer had to be filmed and recorded to provide an official report.
Serving up a new solution
As restaurants diversified into takeaways and deliveries, one sticky point was how customers would pay for their meals as guidelines stressed that these venues should not accept cash. Although relatively secure payment options such as cards and Paypal were available, many venues complained that the options were limited. Ordo is a secure payment platform which allows for instant payment between venue and customer. The venue can generate a Smart Payment Request using the customer’s email address or phone number, allowing the customer to access this and authorise it for immediate payment.
Moving forward, Ordo is the ideal solution for people in the hospitality industry who are looking for a more versatile and convenient way for customers to pay for their orders.