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Kate Nicholls, CEO of industry trade body UKHospitality, added: “It’s not clear, it’s a real gray area.
“The Government has granted an exemption for business meetings of up to 30 or meetings or meetings deemed necessary for employment purposes, but has not provided guidance on where those meetings can take place.
“We are asking for an urgent clarification because in central London, if the working lunch runs out, there is no exchange.”
Businesses in London and other major urban centers are among the hardest hit by the pandemic, as an increase in people working from home and a shortage of tourist visitors lead to a drop in sales.
Many restaurants in the capital rely heavily on sales from business meetings, which are responsible for most of the business at lunchtime.
Ranald MacDonald, managing director of the Boisdale Group, which operates a number of restaurants in central London, warned that he will have to lay off staff and go from losing trade to “money hemorrhage” if he is prevented from accepting trade reservations.
He said: “Most workplaces are unlikely to be as health and safety conscious as restaurants, and certainly not more.
“London is the business capital of Europe, business happens at lunch.”
