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3.a Business operations and survival

May, June and to the 2nd July 2020

 

Wednesday 27th May 2020

 

In week 10 of lockdown and the business has been closed for 72 days, Sandy shares his thoughts on possible options for the business and where it could possibly go.  In this video diary Sandy discusses:

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  • That they have been reflecting since week 2 on the seriousness of the situation and the fast changing scenario.

  • Have been looking at all options, even running the business in a small way, but difficult since only two staff now not on furlough.

  • Explains decision to close the village shop but to continue to do online deliveries (even though it is losing money), even though they could have kept it open.

  • Explains have been doing carry-out meals on an irregular basis.

  • Giving consideration of planning for the direction of the business given the situation and possibilities to do other things.

  • Concerns for the recently announced partial reopening of the National Park, but with no public toilet facilities which may create problems if many people decide to travel out; and consideration of what the business could offer to the visitors (eg limited carry out food offering

Sunday 14th June 2020

 

With week 13 of lockdown starting in the coming week and the business now having been closed for 84 days, Sandy shares his thoughts on how the business is doing to date and how his work life has changed. He explains:

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· How his role and days has significantly changed over the past 12 weeks. “I have become multi-functional”

· Working 7 days a week from 6am to midnight, an 18 hour day every day.

· Quite enjoy getting back to the floor. “I will take a lot of positives out of this.”

· Challenges still with the bank and funding.

· Brief overview of the business activities still happening – online shop; occasional carry-out / take-away service; at the Scotland first independent drive=-through open; look after estate of moth-balled businesses; on-going business deals involved in

· “Business as usual with no financial gain” but some other local businesses will not re-open which is “very sad to see”.

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This is a critically important document and reference point for the business to refer to and comply with. This document was not available in download format (apart from the checklist), hence the screen shots of the first part of the web pages of each of the above 7 sections are as follows:

In this video also filmed on 27th May 2020, Sandy discusses his thoughts on the possible timescales for reopening the business.  In this video diary Sandy discusses:

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  • Timescales rest solely with the Scottish Government.

  • The business will have to abide by their guidelines.

  • Concern about operating with social distancing of 2m.

  • Possible erection of marquees around the property.

  • “So many huge challenges” to reopen, especially given that “the advice tends to change on a daily basis”.

Friday 29th May 2020

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Sandy and Stuart Fraser discuss their thoughts on the day that the Chancellor announced an extension to and changes to the furlough scheme. In this video diary Sandy and Stuart discuss:

 

· The concerns that they had the best team and best winter season since the opened 23 years ago and now it has to be dismantled, “heart-breaking”.

 

· Concerns at the cost to businesses of the changed furlough scheme

Thursday 18th June 2020

 

Sandy and Stuart had completed some 89 or so 1:1 phone calls with staff on the Monday and Tuesday. In this video Sandy provides an update on the overall business activities:

  • Phone calls on the Monday and Tuesday were “distressing”.

  • Decided to go fishing on the Wednesday to clear their heads (having worked 18 hour days, 7 days a week for over 13 weeks of lockdown).

  • Says catching 50 to 60 mackerel, now in the fridge are helping stock up the kitchen.

  • “Not a full day off, back in the office at night”.

  • “Nice not to be thinking about work for a few hours”.

Thursday 18th June 2020

 

To help hospitality and tourism business plan for re-opening, the Scottish Government published an online document entitled “Ccoronavirus-Covid-19 Tourism and hospitality sector guidance”.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-tourism-and-hospitality-sector-guidance/

 

Note: This was published on the same day that the First Minster, Nicola Sturgeon, announced moves into stage 2 of moving out of lockdown. This announcement, however, did not include a date for bars, pubs, etc to be allowed to use outdoor spaces and this was met with “dismay” by the sector. See section 3.d, entries under the date 18th June 2020.

 

The Government’s online document has seven sections:

  1. Overview

  2. Assessing risk

  3. Workforce planning

  4. Operational guide and checklist

  5. Workforce training

  6. Next steps

  7. Related guidance

 

This Government web site also has a downloadable checklist template which is accessible and can be downloaded via the web link above.

 

This checklist template can also be viewed in this PDF viewer here:

Please insert the PDF file “tourism and hospitality checklist” here

 

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Tuesday 23d June 2020

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Decision taken to stop doing take-away meals, so as to give more time to plan for re-opening the businesses.

 

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Thursday 25th June 2020

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The tourism bodies for Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England worked together to develop a new UK industry wide standard for Covid secure premises and to develop a “kitemark”.

Please see this extract from the VisitScotland announcement:

 

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Source: https://www.visitscotland.org/news/2020/launch-of-were-good-to-go

 

There is a similar announcement on VisitBritain’s web site here:

https://www.visitbritain.org/were-good-go-industry-standard-all-sectors-tourism-industry

 

A support web site was also developed:

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Source: https://goodtogo.visitbritain.com/your-business-good-to-go-scotland

 

In preparing for opening, the various businesses will have to conform and comply with this Government guidance (see Tuesday 30th June 2020 in this section below).

Sunday 28th June 2020

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There have recently been some fundamental changes in what is possible as a result of recent announcements from the Government. There is also a heightening financial crisis in the business, across the sector and across the whole UK economy. Here Sandy explains his current thinking on the overall business options:

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  • “If you were to wind the clock back 8 weeks, I had a conversation with major players in the hospitality sector here, over 100 employees, and we could all seen a situation where we would be mothballing until spring next year”.

  • Reality is that the financial position has worsened.

  • Hence made the decision that as soon as they can get back to some form of business they need to, they have to.

  • Bank balance is continuing to get more into debt.

  • Even though may have to spend in order to reopen, just go to do it.

  • “Reality is we are still in a hugely serious situation, fighting for our lives and looking at how we are going to survive the winter”.

  • “Hoping that Scottish Government will look at some continuing support…..otherwise there are going to be huge losses in the industry and a huge mountain to climb over the next few years”

  • “At the very best we are going to be left with a huge amount of debt and additional borrowings”

  • Estimate a loss of turnover of over £1m from the shut-down.

  • Getting the operation back going is going to be big part of the consideration, fabric of the building, rooms, etc.

  • Based on thinking that 15th July would be the opening date for all, they made the decision to take out the commercial kitchen to redo the floor and better reposition the kitchen equipment. But then an announcement that some parts of the business could open from 3rd July.

  • Plan village shop first on Friday 3rd July and St Mocha coffee shop for take-aways. And work day and night to get kitchen project finished.

 

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Tuesday 30th June 2020

 

In preparation for the start of phased openings from Friday 3rd July onwards, the various businesses are preparing in line with the Government guidance and checklist issued for tourism businesses (see the entry at 18th June 2020 above).

 

Lead individuals were identified for each of the ten departmental areas to be prepared for re-opening in a Covid-safe way:

 

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On completing the check-lists and putting in place new systems etc., the aim is for each part of the business to get the following:

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The guidance for the micro-small tourism businesses (as noted in the table above) can be found here (this is in addition to the guidance as listed on Thursday 18th June 2020 above):

 

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The guidance for medium-large areas of the tourism business (as noted in the table above, this is reception, Front of House, Kitchen and House Keeping).

 

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Tuesday 30th June 2020

 

In week 15 of lockdown two of the Directors, Stuart and David Fraser, share their thoughts on the past 15 weeks and plans for a gradual reopening from the Friday (3rd July):

  • Opening up the coffee shops in Balmaha and Aberfoyle from Friday

  • Going to be a different market to what they have been used to

  • Going to be interesting to see what the demand is for different products.

  • Open up the Balmaha Village Shop also from Friday.

  • Bring back a few key members of staff

  • Possibly open up the Oak Tree Inn from Monday (6th July) to serve food and drink for carry out.

  • “All very excited”

  • Original plan was for 15th July (two weeks away) but now 3 days away so planning equipment for reopening is a challenge.

  • Challenge getting engineers out, etc for any work needing done for recommissioning equipment

  • Need to remove all old stock and put in new stock – all areas from the kitchen to drink and certain gifts.

  • “Lock down started at the worst time for us, at the start of the season”.

  • ”Fingers crossed we can get the tills ringing again”.

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Thursday 2nd July 2020

 

Sandy was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland Drivetime radio news programme. He was asked about the re-opening of Balmaha and East Loch Lomond from the next day (3rd July) after the First Minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed in that afternoon’s announcement that people could travel more than 5 miles for leisure purposes from the 3rd July.

 

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Listen to the radio interview here:

Thursday 2nd July 2020

 

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed that people can travel for more than 5 miles for leisure purposes from the following day (Friday 3rd July). Sandy was interviewed by Radio Scotland (as above) and in this video he talks about the plans to re-open from the next day:

  • Sandy shares his thoughts and feelings about re-opening - “an exciting day”

  • National Park has delivered all the temporary toilets, the road will open up again and the National Park is re-opening

  • A “water shed moment after 14 weeks”

  • Tinged with knowledge that having not operated for 14 weeks they are “a bit rusty”

  • “A wee bit nervous as to how we are going to cope with it”

  • Plan to re-open the village shop after more than 100 days and the St Mocha coffee ship for coffee carry outs plus the coffee shop in Aberfoyle

  • A staged opening – “quite frankly that suits us”

 

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