Simon Clark highlights a positive & innovative way to keep hospitality businesses going in the crisis.
A few years ago I was on a beach in Florida reading Chris Evans’s biography. Some way in to the book he mentioned that he was writing sections of the book on his boat in Lymington but a friend came round and persuaded him to go for a drink. The difference was that venue for the drink was on the Isle of Wight. So they hopped in a rib and set off for drinks at The Hut in Colwell Bay. This peaked my interest, as I also have a boat and love the Isle of Wight, so I clocked this and decided I would give it a try when I got back to the UK. Several years and many thousands of pounds later The Hut is one of my favourite ever places to go! What do I like about it…..that you can arrive by boat, anchor and they collect you and take you ashore…..that the venue is shielded from the prevailing wind and is a great sun trap…..of course that the food, service and music is great….and that it’s a pretty cool place right here in The UK.
And so, today, at the beginning of a lock down where hospitality businesses are not sure how to get through this, it was a real pleasure to see how The Hut are approaching this crisis in characteristically innovative form!
George Adams and The hut team say “The hospitality sector in particular has been dealt a huge blow, we would love for you to come over to visit The Hut soon but we also understand that for many of you, this may not be possible, and shortly, we may not be open for a time. As a seasonal business this couldn’t have come at a worse time for us, it is a worrying time for all involved and particularly very importantly for our amazing staff. As you know our loyal staff are part of our family and we will fight to keep them in work throughout this. It would therefore mean a huge amount to us if you are able to ‘pledge’ an amount which we will then redeem as a gift voucher for you to use this Summer or the next one, we will also give you 10% off the menu price when you visit us to use your voucher.
This health crisis is only temporary and on the other side we will need businesses like The Hut. I hope other organisations take a leaf from this book and that we can all look for ways to support them! Must dash, I have to buy my voucher for The Hut!
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