Portsmouth restaurants suffer cancellation crisis as Omicron Covid variant and restrictions make diners think twice

Businesses from across the city and surrounding area have reported bookings are being shelved en masse in the run-up to Christmas.

Many diners have just not showed up for their bookings – meaning empty tables and a big loss in income. One restaurant reported that 22 diners failed to show on a single day recently.

Some restaurateurs are relying on December trade to carry them into the new year, but the rise in cancellations and no shows is crippling them.

Covid-19 infections, uncertainty over the new variant and restrictions, and a change of customer habits have been blamed.

Roberto Fortuna, the owner of O Sole Mio Two, an Italian restaurant in The Boardwalk, Port Solent, blames fears over the Omicron variant for the cancellations.

He said: ‘We’re having a lot of cancellations, more than double the number we usually have.

‘As there could be restrictions this Christmas, everybody is scared and it’s causing more people to cancel.

‘We don’t know what we’re expecting and it’s a major worry.’

The hospitality industry has been badly hit over the past couple of years due to lockdowns and social distancing measures.

Many restaurateurs assumed the sector would recover when businesses reopened, but those hopes are being dashed.

Roberto said his restaurant desperately relies on December trade.

He added: ‘Since we reopened, business was very good, but now with this news of the variant, people are listening to it and are scared.

‘All the restaurants are in the same boat.

‘We work in December to survive in January and until the end of February.

‘If we don’t have a good December, the business will struggle.’

Customer no-shows have also been a major problem for O Sole Mio Two.

Roberto said four tables – totalling 22 customers – failed to turn up for reservations on a single day and didn’t respond to his phone calls.

He said he’s unsure whether it’s because people are scared to come out, or it they’re put off by the lack of public transport to Port Solent.

The Italian restaurant has been a fixture on The Boardwalk for years, but a strong reputation hasn’t stopped customers from rejecting tables.

Roberto previously had to turn away customers on New Year’s Eve.

Now, only four tables are booked on December 31.

He is planning to close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day now due to a lack of interest.

The government announced Plan B will be introduced from Monday to stop the spread of the new variant.

The News reported the first Omicron case was confirmed in Portsmouth on Wednesday.

No restrictions have been imposed on restaurants or Christmas parties, but some businesses were already seeing a cut in large gatherings.

Relentless HQ, in The Boardwalk, Port Solent, has seen many work parties scrapped.

OwnerScott Matthews said: ‘Because of our location in Port Solent, we rely on corporate parties over Christmas and they’re just not happening this year.

‘Employers don't want to take any risks.’

Scott expects December income to drop from £120,000 to £85,000.

Two parties of 25 people have already cancelled their bookings this week.

Scott added that ‘any money is better than none’ compared to last year, and although they’re fully booked up for Christmas Day, further cancellations could happen if more restrictions are announced.

Restaurant managers are worried that Covid hesitancy will continue in the future.

Manager Brian Ibbitson, the manager of Rancho Steakhouse in West Street, Fareham, said: ‘We’re getting loads and loads of bookings but customers cancel or don’t turn up.

‘We’ve tried everything, it’s not down to us I don’t think, but people in general are just worried about what is going on.

‘I should imagine that because of the new variant, people will book less, and it’s going to make a rapid change of how people think.

‘We didn’t expect to go through what we’re going through in December again.’

The manager added groups are turning down reservations because some of them tested positive for Covid.

Even after reopening this year, Brian said the restaurant is ‘just about managing’ financially.

He added: ‘Business hasn’t improved as much as I hoped for this year.

‘It’s a little bit better, but this year has not picked up as much as we would expect.’

Fears over the Omicron variant appear to have exacerbated current problems in the hospitality industry.

Shaid Rahman, the manager of Latin American restaurant El Toro, in Osborne Road, Southsea, said no-shows are a given, but not on this scale.

He explained: ‘You always get no-shows, but not as many as we’re getting now.

‘Whether they are booking in a few different places, or they’re watching the news and are scared to come out, I’m not 100 per cent sure.’

Shaid added that groups regularly turn up with fewer guests than expected or cancel altogether.

On Monday, a large party of 51 people was booked in, but only 42 of them showed up.

The manager added tables with elderly customers revoke their bookings as they’re scared to come out, and the financial hit this could cause is a worry.

He said: ‘We get good clientele here, so they do watch the news and some of it scares them.

‘It is a concern, and we don’t know where we’re heading after Christmas.

‘We’ve built up a good reputation with the locals, so I’m hoping they’ll be coming back in the future.’

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth people's sacrifices for Christmas in lockdown on December 18 - the day of Downing Street alleged party

Some restaurants were forced to adapt due to repeated lockdowns and have thrived since.

Giorgio’s Pizza, in London Road, Waterlooville, closed the dine-in side of the business last year, using the space for takeaways instead.

Co-owner Richard Goodrham said responding to customer demand has lead to a profitable business.

He said: ‘We found that although we lost our restaurant business, people were entertaining at home and had more disposable income to spend on takeaways.

‘We had impressive growth going on already and the pandemic has only accelerated it.

‘It has jumped us up the curve a little bit.’

This unexpected growth convinced Richard to expand – moving into the premises next door and reopening the restaurant.

They started six weeks ago, with hopes that the festive trade will bolster the business.

Now though, they are feeling the same sting as other restaurants.

Richard said: ‘The bookings were looking quite good for December, but now we’ve got people phoning up and cancelling.

‘We’re going to find that a bit of a pattern unfortunately.

‘We’re excited about opening the new restaurant, but the timing isn’t ideal.

‘It is a very uncertain future at the moment.

‘We are optimistic that later on, people will come out again, but December is not going to be the boost that we thought it would be.’

One business that cannot afford to focus solely on takeaways is Blue Cobra.

The Indian restaurant seats 150 people and has been running for 15 years.

Manager Zilu Miah said although takeaway orders have gone up 25 per cent, he still has financial worries.

He said: ‘Just on takeaways alone, we won’t be able to survive in the long run.

‘Things are very tough at the moment, I thought this year would be an improvement, but it hasn’t been.

‘Last weekend, we were fully booked, but only half the people turned up.

‘We don’t really know what to do.’

Like other businesses, Blue Cobra has been awash with cancellations.

Some because of positive Covid cases, and others due to advice from their employer.

One of them was a table 15 people from Portsmouth City Council, who cancelled after being advised not to meet up.

Zilau said his loyal customers feel very sorry for them, as most people didn’t have a choice but to revoke their reservations.

Despite preparing to open on Christmas Day, Zilau thinks plenty of customers won’t turn up.

He predicts another lockdown will commence in January and businesses will close permanently as a result.

The manager added: ‘The hospitality industry is going to be hit the hardest, but I don’t know what the government is doing to help.

‘if another lockdown happens, a lot of the restaurants are not going to survive.’

Additional reporting by Sophie Murray.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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