Over the weekend a large number of outlets said they will open their doors next month even if they don’t receive the Government’s endorsement. Outlets including Peach Pubs, Albion & East and Oakman Inns as well as Urban Village Pubs have said they intend to reopen in the first week of July.
The Fuzzy Duck Pub & Kitchen in Nuneaton has also made the anouncement.
Albion & East owners, whose pubs span several locations in London, have said sites in Brixton, Hackney and islington will open on July 4 to save the company.
The jobs of 110 staff are at risk if that is delayed.
Speaking on the reopening of The Fuzzy Duck, Amar Uppal, managing director of the independent bars and restaurants operators, said: “We will be opening on Saturday July 4, despite the lack of clarity and direction given to the hospitality industry by the Government.
“We cannot wait any longer and won’t change our plans unless the Prime Minister intervenes.
“The operational challenges of restarting a business are intricate. We need to plan weeks ahead to arrange supplies, in our case, fresh food and beers. As well as training our teams to what will be the new norm for the industry.”
He also warned there is the potential for 3.5 million job losses in the hospitality industry across the UK.
“The hospitality sector is much more than bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels… The effect being caused with no definitive direction effects all of the sectors supply chains, it’s the brewers, wholesalers, butchers, fish mongers, bakers, event hire makers, venues, marquee hire companies, event planners, festival organisers, caterers, wedding planners and most importantly the industry professionals,” he said.
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“Hospitality is a profession, it’s a way of life and right now no one actually knows what the future holds.”
The rebellion is led by Peter Borg-Neal of Oakman Inns who has previously said that all of his 28 pubs will reopen on July 4.
He has “challenged the Prime Minister to tell them otherwise”.
Some 90 percent of its 1,000 employees have been on furlough since pubs were told to lock their doors in March.
Non-essential retailers will open their doors in Wales today.
The World Health Organization recommends a distance of at least one metre (just over 3ft), but the UK Government’s scientific advisers say that distance carries up to 10 times the risk of being two metres apart.
Both measures may be hard to police in locations such as pubs.