What is Corona Virus?
I can clearly remember February half term of 2020, and the murmurs of ‘corona virus’ suddenly became a bit more real, with significant, increased numbers of ‘sufferers’ becoming daily news. Plenty of schools and groups had gone skiing; as they would in February half term and this strange virus we had heard whispers and snippets on the news suddenly showed its ugly face here in the UK. The unknown entity of the illness, knowing when you had it, did you just feel rough with a cold or flu, or was it this weird virus that no one knew exactly where it had originated from.
From the beginning of March, business levels suddenly plummeted. This was evident throughout all areas of industry, but in our case, it was significant. What we had put our hearts and all our funds into (the pub) had just started to roll, and now this so called strange illness from China (so we were told) had changed this overnight. Even now, while writing this, I have taken out the bookings diary for 2020 and you can see the difference from February to less than half the covers at the beginning of March, and those bookings we did have, cancellations and crossings out of bookings (it is a memory, maybe not quite a keepsake). Week beginning Monday 17th March Alex and I made a conscious decision to up the anti, and we decided to offer a small ‘takeaway; menu that would offer individuals the chance to still enjoy our food, but also if they were fearful of venturing out (as at this time we were not quite locked down). Fish and chips and burgers from memory were just a few of the offerings. From our diary, we averaged 3x the takeaway covers than we did diners in the pub. So not the stupidest idea.
The second evening (Wed 18th March), the options of delivery was queried, and as we had plenty of bodies working and not that many to serve, I thought, hell….why not. In a previous job hunt, in fact while I was waiting for the purchase of the Black River Inn to complete, I looked into being a Deliveroo driver, although I never went through with it, I did pass the interview stage and had been given the ‘kit’. That being a thermal bag….’the perfect delivery bag’. Thus the birth of Gilliveroo. (insert pic 1 attached in email, with tag line.
In fact, we went as far as graffiti-ing the thermal bag to be more apt and to match our new delivery name. In 24 hours the delivery and takeaway service was working, and the few locals and supporters of the pub that were not going to be scared off kept us tiding over that week, and come Thursday Al and I did think, we might just ride this one out. It would pass.
Friday 20th March. The whole nation, and world were being updated with daily figures of new cases, deaths were now being noted. The virus was not something to snub. 5.30pm, Boris Johnson, our prime minister was going to address the nation. I can still remember the announcement. By 11pm all pubs were to close their doors. For how long? Who knew. We had just bought in our supplies, not only for the weekend, but also for Mothers day which was to be our biggest weekend to date. A blow is an understatement, what to do? I’ll tell you, call out to the village….come and drink your pub’s supplies for the last time you can before who knows. We called, they came. It is still very emotional even now, thinking about the sheer support. People came to say bye, toast the pub, toast life and just enjoy. We had all been advised not to socialise, but it was only advised at this time, instead Black Torrington came and ensured the pub knew they wouldn’t be missed, that when we could, whenever that would be that they would be back. The final toasts as we closed came with a huge sense of worry, but we both knew we had already switched up our model in that week, and it had paid off, we would come up with a plan and continue. Pub life wouldn’t be over, not yet anyway.
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