People in Inverness are ready to come back out, says Chieftain Hotel owner
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Sports fans, families and tourists are flocking to the Chieftain Hotel in Millburn Road. Owner Liz Lawson said they had been inundated with customers since the lockdown restrictions allowed them to reopen last month.
She said: “I think people were just desperate, not just to meet up with others, but to enjoy a draught beer.”
Miss Lawson said they have had a lot of visitors from the central belt, as well as England, and added: “We get a lot of people from the Premier Inn and Jury’s Inn because they want to watch the sport.”
A number of safety measures have been put in place and she said the rules were prominently displayed in the beer garden. She said: “Everyone has been great, they understand the fact that we have to do the social distancing and they aren’t allowed to jump from table to table. They are just happy to be out.”
She said it was good to see the city centre busier, and added: “It is a lot busier than it was a few weeks ago. We had months without anything.”
The business has also benefited from the UK government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme and Miss Lawson said it was even encouraging people who might have been anxious to venture out.
She said: “I think it encouraged people that might have been a wee bit frightened to come out.
“If they see sanitiser stations they feel a wee bit safer and it might give them the confidence to go out a bit more. If people go into a place and see it is doing the right thing, they will go back again.
“People were ready to come back for a meal. We have had a lot of families in.”
