What does post lockdown easing for the hospitality operators of Macclesfield look like?

We know for sure that there will be restrictions on the number of guests in venues, and that is at present all we know.

Andy Thompson, from Macclesfield-based Zinc Technical Services, is a tech provider catering exclusively to the hospitality sector and has been working with multiple hospitality providers for many years. Andy is spearheading Macclesfield Hospitality Action.

"As a group of hospitality-focused businesses, either operators or support service providers, we have come together to have a voice for re-opening post lockdown," he said

Overnight Zinc, along with all other operators and businesses who work in hospitality, completely lost their customer base.

This has been a tricky time for all of us. What we hope to achieve with MHA is to partner with local government and work together to achieve a successful, safe, and socially distanced hospitality economy bounce back for the town. The first step is to look at available outdoor spaces.

As operators are planning to re-open, what we do know is that for the residents of the town confidence levels will not be where they were pre-pandemic. We hope to create some amazing, safe outdoor spaces, giving us the ability to provide our customers with the best possible experiences, perhaps slightly outside of the norm!

How will this work? We want operators to be given the opportunity to better-utilise the outdoor spaces adjacent to them, including pavements, car parks and parking bays - as well as a possible shared area for pop-up offerings. This could take a bit of the sting out of the tail in terms of revenue reduction due to the restrictions placed on them.

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The recovery of the hospitality economy in Macclesfield is so important and will greatly help the town as a whole to bounce back. We need success to be realised, and this is a great route for this to happen.

We've been busy gathering ideas from bars, restaurants and cafes, and would welcome any further input from residents, as you are key to getting our economy back on track!