Getting Inverness Back to Business – Delighted to see people back at 'social hub'
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A family-run Inverness restaurant was able to welcome back regular customers when it reopened from Wednesday.
Fiona Girvan, who runs Girvans in Stephen’s Brae, said the lockdown had been “catastrophic” for the business with some staff made redundant and the rest being furloughed.
All of the furloughed staff were able to return to work this week and she said there had been a good start on the first day.
She said: “It’s been excellent, we have had the staff in preparing and we have had people phoning and customers asking when we’d be opening.”
The modern-style restaurant usually opens daily to serve meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a “warm, pleasant and very welcoming” atmosphere for all the family.
Under the current guidance, it is now operating with a reduced seating capacity, with social distancing measures and signs throughout the premises, hand sanitisers, staff wearing visors, reduced opening hours and, where possible, contactless payments.
However, they were still able to accommodate a total of around 100 customers during Wednesday morning.
Mrs Girvan said: “They were delighted to be back, because we are a local restaurant, we have lots of regular customers – it’s a bit of a social hub for Inverness.”
She said it was important that more people felt confident enough to return to the city centre and added: “It is very important. I think everybody is keen to get back to normal safely.”
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