Pub slams 'disgusting' person who booked 42 seats in its restaurant then didn't show up - after staff had turned away 47 genuine customers
- The Black Ladd in Shaw, Greater Manchester was forced to turn away customers
- Made via an online system, the reservations were made using fake details
- Bosses said they believe it was done to disrupt the business financially
- Comes in the week that the industry is struggling with NHS coronavirus app
A pub has publicly shamed would-be customers who purposely booked 42 seats in its restaurant, only to fail to show up.
The Black Ladd in Shaw, Greater Manchester was forced to turn away 47 genuine customers after an 'individual or individuals' used fake information to reserve seven tables.
Made via an online booking service brought in due to coronavirus restrictions, each reservation, for six dinners, was made using fake contact details.
The Black Ladd in Shaw, Greater Manchester was forced to turn away 47 genuine customers
Staff at the Buckstones Road pub believe it was done on purpose, and have said members of the team last half their hours of service as a result 'which they rely to live on.'
Bosses have said they believe it was done to disrupt the business financially.
In a social media post, staff wrote: 'All management and staff at The Black Ladd want to say a huge thank you to the individual or individuals who decided to use our online booking service to book tables using false information and wasting 42 seats in our restaurant yesterday.
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'It's not enough that our sector has already been hit the hardest due to covid, but this individual or individuals decided to book 7 tables each for 6 diners, all for yesterday using false data and telephone numbers each time with no intention of ever turning up.
The nature of the NHS Covid app - which tells people to self-isolate if they have come within a certain distance of someone who later tests positive - means hospitality staff walking around busy venues are particularly likely to receive notifications
'This was done for no other reason that this person or persons wanted to disrupt our business financially.
'We had to turn away 47 customers yesterday that legitimately want to come and dine with us but due to this deliberate disgusting act we had to refuse them a table.
'The main reason this is so frustrating is that our lovely staff lost half of their hours yesterday which they rely to live on. What hurts just as much is we had to turn away some of our elderly loyal customers who come every Tuesday evening due to this disgusting act!!
'I will of course personally ensure none of my staff are out of pocket due to someone's act of stupidity.'
The post went on to confirm that the booking system has now been changed.
Customers will now be required to provide their card details so the pub will not be out of pocket if they fail to show up.
Money will be taken from the card if bookings are cancelled too late or if the party doesn't arrive.
The industry has already gone through a difficult period with the coronavirus.
More recently, pubs and restaurants are experiencing severe labour shortages and are being forced to close and send thousands of staff home as a result of the NHS Covid app repeatedly telling them to self-isolate amid soaring case numbers.
Employees must stay at home for up to ten days after coming into contact with a positive case even if they test negative for Covid. Hospitality chiefs want this changed so that anyone who receives a negative result can go back to work.
A single Wetherspoons in Weston-super-Mare earlier this week had 75 members of staff forced to stay at home after coming into contact with positive cases, while Hawksmoor steakhouse in London received 25 test and trace notifications within four weeks of reopening.
The nature of the NHS Covid app - which tells people to self-isolate if they have been in 'close contact' with someone who later tests positive - means hospitality staff walking around busy venues are particularly likely to receive notifications.
Close contact means being within two metres of a person who tested positive for the virus for 15 minutes or more or within one metre for one minute or more.
The app has previously been criticised for glitches, including sending out phantom exposure alerts, causing unnecessary alarm and periods of self-isolation for users.
