Coronavirus: the positive hospitality industry moves
- Pizza oven specialist Gozney has begun selling a “we’re with you” campaign t-shirt to help raise funds to support workers in the industry. “Hospitality is a people business,” says Gozney CEO Tom Gozney. “From the chefs using our ovens to the restaurant owners who have supported us over the years, we know these people are having a tough time as closures are impacting lives, families and careers. We wanted to do something to help.” The t-shirt, which costs £20, is available in a range of sizes, and 100% of the profits will go to industry charity Hospitality Action's Covid-19 emergency appeal. To find out more, click here.
- CPL Learning, which provides interactive training for the hospitality and retail sectors, has created a free training course for hospitality employers and employees. The Coronavirus – Taking Proactive Action activity is designed to support learners in making preparations and contingencies to deal with the ongoing crisis, and to provide a checklist of actions to consider and to communicate to employees. The course - which has been made in collaboration with David Edwards of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; SpeakEzi; and CPL Learning - will allow users to identify the signs and symptoms of Covid-19; understand how the infection spread; consider the potential impact on hospitality businesses; identify the main areas to consider and plan for contingency; and implement the most up-to-date hygiene advice for your business. To take the course, click here.
- Yard Sale Pizza has launched an NHS crowdfund to help it with its aim to feed 5,000 NHS staff in the coming weeks. Since launching the campaign on Friday (27 March), the business has raised £10,000, which will go solely towards helping Yard Sale get pizza directly to NHS staff. So far the team, which is working in collaboration with its supplier Salvo 1968, has donated enough pizza to feed 1,000 NHS staff. Yard Sale is currently taking donations of £10, £20 or £50 through a dedicated webpage on its merch store.
- Meanwhile, regional pizza and cocktail chain Pizza Punks has also started a crowdfund campaign, pledging to feed 2,500 NHS staff across its three UK locations in Glasgow, Belfast and Newcastle. Working in partnership with suppliers Italicatessen, Continental Foods, and Eco Runners, the brand is asking for donations of £10, £20 or £50 via its online voucher store.”All funds go directly towards making and delivering pizza to staff at the Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth hospitals in Glasgow and RVI in Newcastle,” said founder Brad Stevens. “This is a non-profit scheme – our teams are volunteering their time.”
- The Hospitality Professionals Association (HOSPA) has launched a ‘hospitality crisis support hub’, which collates offers of help from hospitality businesses looking to support other operators in the sector during the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. Some services are being offered for free, whilst others are at a greatly reduced rate, with the aim to support businesses and to help them keep going during the crisis. To access it, click here.
