Diners stay away from restaurants as Omicron variant spreads across the UK
People are staying away from restaurants in the run up to Christmas, according to the latest data from Open Table.
In a further blow to the UK hospitality industry, seated diners dropped by 14 per centage points in the week to 20 December.
It is lowest set of figures for UK restaurants since the week ending 17 May, when indoor dining was still restricted.
It is also 88 per cent of the level in the equivalent week in 2019 before the pandemic.
This follows the announcement of Plan B restrictions and the spread of the Omicron variant across the country.
Alongside avoiding restaurants, people are also staying away from high streets this festive season.
Research from Springboard has revealed overall retail footfall in the UK was below “normal” expectations for this time of year in the week to 18 December 2021, at 81 per cent of the level seen in the equivalent week of 2019.
This is even lower than the previous week where overall retail footfall was at 82 per cent of the equivalent week in 2019.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has recently announced a £1bn Christmas gift for UK businesses, however the package has been criticised for not being ambitious enough to help under-pressure industries.
One of the chief victims of declining trade this winter is Pret A Manager, where transactions fell in six of its seven urban locations – with trade falling 29 percentage points to its lowest levels since September.
The UK reported 119,789 new Covid-19 cases today and 147 deaths, as the government continues to weigh up whether to re-introduce more restrictive measures after Christmas.