PUB and restaurant bosses in Renfrewshire are raising their glasses this week after tougher Covid restrictions were lifted.
Measures put in place last month to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus were brought to an end on Monday.
It means hospitality venues no longer have to stick to table service only or enforce one-metre physical distancing.
Christine Knox, licensee at The Spateston Inn, said the restrictions have been “an absolute nightmare” for her business.
She told The Gazette: “This past month, we have been extremely quiet. We’ve been doing 50 per cent off our meals for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but still sitting with an empty restaurant.
“People are just fed up being told where to sit and what to do. Our customers are mostly men who like to come in from their work, stand at the bar and have a pint. They don’t want to sit at a table.”
Christine is now hoping Covid restrictions are gone for good.
“We need to get on with life now and get back to some sort of normality,” she added. “We’ve got live music on the weekends and quiz nights on Sundays, so I’m hoping people will come back and enjoy The Spateston Inn again.”
Leo Pierotti, owner of the Piccolo Mondo and Luna Rossa restaurants in Renfrew, believes the lifting of restrictions was “long overdue.”
He said: “It seems as though we are turning the corner now, which is a great relief more than anything.
“I think people have been a bit apprehensive and scared to leave their homes, so it’s been challenging to convince customers that it is safe to dine out.”
Indrit Mataj, owner of Trattoria Roma, in Johnstone, told how his restaurant’s takeaway service helped his business survive the latest Covid measures.
“I really hope there are no more restrictions in the future but I think there could be, as you never know what’s going to happen these days or who to believe anymore,” he said.
“We were looking forward to Christmas and New Year to make some money back but we had too many cancellations, especially parties.
“It’s usually quiet in January but it’s been dead this month.”
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