DELIGHTED punters enjoyed their first pint since November last year as city pubs reopened across the city todayday.
Malones Irish Pub in Sauchiehall Lane in the city centre welcomed customers from 11am to enjoy their rooftop beer garden.
Owner Simon Keane and his staff were delighted to be back.
He said: “There was a bit of nervous excitement in the air - for everyone from our kitchen to bar staff and our managers. Everyone’s a bit nervous but also really excited. It feels a bit like Christmas Day. Pubmas, as we call it.
“We’re all getting back to work, we’re seeing our customers again, there’s a bit of a good time feeling in the air, people are getting out to see their friends and have a bit of social interaction.
“The one thing which has been pretty evident through all of this is that going to meet your friends in the pub isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. You need that time for your mental health to be able to meet friends and have a chat.”
While the publican is excited to welcome people back and stay open for the foreseeable future, Simon said that the pandemic has devastated the industry as they missed out on crucial Christmas trade.
He added: “It was devastating really. For us, we like to be high volume and busy places and to be shut down, especially the second time around was just very hard.
“What a lot of businesses were hoping on was the Christmas trade and we never got that. I don’t think I’m over exaggerating when I say it was devastating to our industry. A lot of pubs just aren’t re-opening after this.
“Lucky enough we were able to weather the storm. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be tough going forward but we’re lucky here because we have an outdoor seating area.
“Essentially what we’re trying to do is make people happy. We’re just really happy we’re able to make people happy again.”
Simon revealed that pubs have put in place numerous safety measures including track and trace, wearing of facemasks when walking around communal areas as well as a stringent cleaning regime.
The safety moves delighted customers who were “buzzing” to be back at the pub
Best friends Ellen Shand and Laura Grant have not had a drink together since last October and looked forward to meeting after they both lost their jobs because of the pandemic.
Laura said: “I am absolutely buzzing. This is one of the greatest days of my life. I got my nails done. I’m with my friend, I’m talking to people, I just feel alive.”
Laura lives alone and said the lockdown has been tough because she has missed out on so much social interaction.
She added: “It’s been a really quite isolating time at certain points so I really want to get in the trenches.”
Ellen was made redundant last year from her drama teaching job but has been able to find work online.
She is looking forward to having people in her house again.
She said: “May 17 in the diary when you’re allowed to be in someone’s house, that changes your perspective a lot.
"Why would be allowed to go into someone’s house if things genuinely weren’t getting better. I am still cautious, I am still nervous especially for loved ones that are older but they are all vaccinated and it is them who are saying : you know what if you want to see us, you can.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel