How the Queen's funeral is hitting Greater Manchester's under-strain pubs and restaurants
14.09.2022 - 11:27
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
After a difficult two years under coronavirus restrictions, struggling to cope with the rising cost of living and soaring energy bills, hospitality venues across the region are about to face another setback, with events cancelled ahead of the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
Bars and restaurants across the city set to take in trade from the Manchester United v Leeds fixture on Sunday have been left reeling after the match was postponed due to difficulties policing the fixture . Although many hospitality venues will remain open on Monday, when the late monarch’s funeral is set to take place, some have apparently taken the heartbreaking decision to close their doors due to the increase in staffing costs for opening on a Bank Holiday.
Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser for the city region, told the Manchester Evening News that his office had heard from hospitality businesses making the difficult decision to close due to costs, with dozens of others hit by the postponement of Sunday’s match.
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He said: “Some operators are choosing to close out of respect but not that many if I’m being honest. There are people choosing to close not out of respect, but now it’s a bank holiday staffing costs are up to possibly double time, and with all the other costs; energy, cost of living, supply, it’s not viable to open so that’s one of the reasons why you might see more places shut on Monday.
“There’s another blow that we’ve had in Manchester this weekend, postponing the football on Sunday. I get it, I understand the reasons they can’t police it properly but the knock-on effect on hotel rooms, restaurants, bars, and taxis