‘Many businesses will need to reopen soon to survive’

Rumours spread like wildfire, or perhaps like a novel coronavirus. Either way, the uncertainty of these times leaves us searching for information wherever we can find it.

A lot of the time, rumour will be that source. Right now these rumours are especially enticing as they promise the end, in many countries, of states of lockdown or social distancing and a return to ‘normal’.

This ain’t gonna happen, at least not in the way you think it will.

There is no normal.

Right now, lockdown is normal. Normal is simply the current conditions of your life. Normal is this idealised state that we feel we should be living in.

But the end of these weird Covid times will come and the new state of normal will begin; one that will bring significant changes to the way we have to operate in the hospitality industry. After all, everything we do is about human connection, the very thing that is now a danger.

Mat North is co-owner of Full Court Press cafe on Broad Street – photo by Martin Booth

As a business owner, these are tricky times to navigate, moral choices butt heads with pragmatic business designs and in may cases sheer financial necessities.

Balancing these is no mean feat and the choices we make reveal a lot about how we view the safety of our staff and customers, as well as the truth of the viability of the business.

The livelihoods and safety of your staff may be a top priority, but how do you balance their safety against them not having a job if the business fails?

In the same way, is a business that can survive longer without reopening needlessly endangering both staff and customers, regardless of the precautions taken?

Safe to say that among of the other things that roll round my dome, these are the choices that keep me up at night.

But we’re by no means alone in this, far from it in fact. Many others have covered the logistical and moral issues around covid coffee service, notably Nick Cho from Wrecking Ball in San Francisco.

His posts on transmission vectors as it pertains to coffee service and the moral choices are essential reading right now; read them here and here.

Right now in the UK, all the signs point to a loosening of restrictions soon. At least that’s what the rumours say.

How we manage this will obviously depend on the government advice. But like people will wait for that. Once you take the brakes off, it’ll be like me freewheeling downhill with a backpack full of coffee, fast and potentially out of control, potentially.

It will also depend on the state of the business. We’re lucky in that we have been able to pivot quickly to another revenue stream, delivery, one that has ensured the livelihoods of our staff and has enabled the business to stay viable.

This is not the case, however, for many even with government support grants. Many will need to open to survive, so whilst you may or may not agree, please understand that this choice will not have been taken lightly. If they are open, it’s most likely the only way to ensure that jobs and livelihoods are saved.

If this is you, if you have to open, good luck. I hope that it works and I trust that you are doing everything in your power to ensure the safety and peace of mind of your staff and your customers.

At Full Court Press, we’re going to remain shut whist we refit the shop. Our aim is to open in line with the rumoured cafe reopening times of mid- to late-June, but we hope to be ready before that. The current layout allows for zero distancing, this will be a key focus.

In the meantime we’ll continue to deliver coffee by bike to those who choose to remain in isolation, and when we do start work we’ll have some filter coffee for you.

Mat North is co-owner of Full Court Press cafe on Broad Street in the Old City. While the cafe remains closed, order coffee for delivery via fcpshop.square.site

Main photo by Martin Booth

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