It must be the biggest disaster ever for a pub to run out of beer and suffer staff shortages all at the same time. Tim Martin, boss of the pub chain, Wetherspoon’s, cannot be getting much sleep these days as his die-hard love of Brexit costs his business trade.
Wetherspoon’s is yet another high-profile business suffering from the lack of HGV drivers and it joins an illustrious list including KFC, McDonald’s, Greggs, Tesco, Nando’s and many thousands of other small businesses right around the country.
It has been reported that menu options at this pub chain are also suffering restrictions. In some Wetherspoon’s pubs there are signs on tables and windows saying:
“We are experiencing a shortage of some menu items – some items may be temporarily unavailable while others may have changed.”
Come back please
Running out of beer is a real challenge for a pub. It is as essential as the supply of chicken for Nando’s and KFC, the missing key ingredient.
The hospitality industry is reporting huge shortages of staff impacting thousands of businesses in the UK. Back in June, Tim Martin appealed to the government and complained that we need a “more liberal immigration system”. He is quoted as saying we are short of 188,000 workers.
It would appear that all is forgiven. ‘Please come back foreign workers’ is an accurate interpretation of what he said. While Wetherspoon’s claimed not to be suffering any staff shortages, it is strange that Martin’s words are there to help the hospitality industry rather than his own vast pub empire.
Due to Brexit, our lost Freedom of Movement means that hundreds of thousands of workers needed across many industries are prevented from working in the UK.
And Christmas
As many retail bosses forecast chaos at Christmas this year due to serious stock shortages, it would be nice to go into your favourite pub or chicken chain to drown your sorrows and eat away your misery.
It would appear from the latest survey data of the Office for National statistics that stocking up early if feasible may be the wisest thing to do before the shortages become even more critical. And buy your Christmas presents early if you can.
Enjoy your next pint wherever it may be!
