Various Eateries founder Hugh Osmond
(Picture: Various Eateries)Former Pizza Express CEO Hugh Osmond has warned the UK hospitality sector could become “uninvestable” if further pandemic restrictions are placed on bars, pubs and restaurants.
In a submission to the UK Government Covid-19 inquiry, the entrepreneur called on the Government to commit to an assessment of the risks to the hospitality industry before any future restrictions are imposed.
“What I think is unbelievable is that there was no real evaluation of the harms and benefits,” Osmond said.
“You wouldn’t just put out a vaccine without an evaluation, so why are non-medical interventions, with just as big an effect — why would people think it’s OK to implement those without a similar evaluation?”
In a letter co-written with Parklife festival founder Sacha Lord and Night Time Industries Association’s Michael Kill, Osmond urged the Government to produce a separate report on the economic impact of closures to hospitality and argued the inquiry should take a sector-specific approach to its probe.
“You’re serving 20 million customers a week who rely on hospitality for their social lives,” he said. “That may provide a counterargument to scientists who might not go to the pub themselves.”
The Prime Minister announced a public inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic in May 2021, promising to put “the state’s actions under the microscope”. This includes examining the effect of Government interventions on the economy, as well as identifying the “lessons to be learned” for future pandemics.
Hospitality faced a raft of restrictions, including 10pm curfews, outdoors-only dining, mandatory table service, the “rule of six” and a ban on serving drinks without a “substantial meal”.
Pizza Express cut more than 2,000 jobs and closed 73 venues in the pandemic after being hit by weeks of restaurant closures and restrictions on customer numbers.
“I think the vast majority of measures were of no benefit at all and just added to the costs,” Osmond said.
Osmond launched the flotation of Pizza Express in 1993 before going on to found Punch Taverns in 1997. In 2020, he raised £65 million in a public offering for Coppa Club owner Various Eateries.
