The big news this week was the announcement by the UK Government that pubs will be permitted to re-open from Saturday 4 July, following new guidelines. Will Hawkes continues his excellent series of of lockdown beer business vignettes with notes on a conversation with Andy Smith of Partizan Brewing and the future of the Bermondsey Beer Mile :. It is a really challenging decision to be open on that Saturday … Why have they done it on a Saturday?
Everyone is going to be so geared up. But the Bermondsey Beer Mile? For Good Beer Hunting Stephanie Grant has written about the experience of being the only black person in all-white American brewery taprooms :. I remember the first time I stepped into a brewery about 10 years ago, unsure and precautious as I waded through the sea of White people dressed in white and blue polo shirts and khaki pants. My husband and I made our way through the crowd and ordered with some guidance from the server behind the bar… With my glass in hand, I became more intrigued by the surrounding atmosphere.
Everywhere, there were groups of young, White men who looked like the frat guys who roamed the halls of my college. Their postures conveyed how comfortable they were in an environment that was foreign to me. For some, events like concerts, drag shows, and comedy open mics being moved online… has been a windfall, with more live entertainment than ever before now at their disposal.
There are a number of reasons why someone might struggle with attending, say, a concert: The venue may not be ADA-compliant, for example, or they may have trouble standing for hours at a time, or they may simply be located far away from a major city without the funds or free time to travel. The language is very much should and not must. So although there is talk about apps for ordering and disposable cutlery, these are not mandatory.
This is helpful for businesses as it allows flexibility and puts the onus on their risk assessments and their decisions about what is safe. While some people may object to this, it would in practice be impossible to legislate for every leisure and hospitality business.
