Restaurants see sales plunge 69%

The data, gathered by hospitality and retail management platform Tenzo​​, also shows a rapid rise in the number of site closures, with 8% of sites closed this morning. 

Tenzo says it has collated the findings from a sample of 136 single and multi-site operators from across the industry, including a majority located in and around London.

Earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised the public to ‘avoid’ pubs and restaurants​​, as the country’s response to the Coronavirus outbreak intensified.

Major restaurant groups including Hawksmoor, D&D London and Corbin & King have temporarily closed their sites​​, with smaller groups including Kricket, Hoppers and the coffee-focused Grind also announcing closures. 

In a post on Hawksmoor’s website​​, founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott said the situation was “tragic”, but they had made the call to ensure the group survives and to protect the jobs of the hundreds of staff that will continue to be employed while the restaurants are closed. 

More restaurant groups and operators are expected to announce closures and significant lay-offs over the next few days, as many begin to periods of self-isolation at home in an effort to contain the virus.