SAT - Allover - Chris Morphet
Monday 2 December 2024
 2.6°C   N Fresh Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts
GR Direct - Winter Sale 2024

Coronavirus / Busta House to experiment with outside dining as restrictions ease

Staff at Busta House have been busy preparing the hotel's garden for the outdoor dining experience.

SHETLAND is usually not associated with an outside dining culture but all that could change this coming week as lockdown restrictions ease with beer gardens and outside eating areas allowed to be open to the public.

While a number of cafés have been serving food on a takeaway basis for some time, Monday will see the outdoor areas of at least three cafés in Lerwick open: the Peerie Shop Café, Coffee Culture as well French-themed café C’est La Vie.

Meanwhile further north, the Mid Brae Inn is hoping for some good trade as all is set for the pub’s own beer garden to open on Monday. A beer garden at the Balta Light, in Unst, will also open on Monday at 6pm.

The Cornerstone in Scalloway also now has a licence to serve alcohol outdoors but questions remain over future of the business.

Busta House Hotel however is taking it one step further. Having been forced to close at the end of March like all other restaurants and accommodation providers, the Brae-based country house hotel is taking advantage of its large walled garden.

Social distancing and hand sanitising will have to be adhered to.

As of Monday lunchtime, diners can enjoy a meal outside on the Busta lawn, socially distanced and protected by a marquee to keep some of the current summer freshness at bay.

Hotel manager Grant O’Neil said a strict hygiene regime with hand sanitisers and a one-way system will have to be in place which hopefully will not discourage people from going out for a meal for the first time in almost four months.

“We are very much looking forwarding to seeing some well known faces return as well as some new faces,” he said.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

“We would ask that if you are joining us, that you please adhere to our guidance as well as social distancing measures to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff.”

Bookings for Monday through to next Sunday, except Thursday, are now open, preferably by telephone on 01806 522506.

The Scottish Government has said as of later in the week businesses could apply to operate at less than two metre social distancing if a number of mitigation measures are agreed and put in place.

All of this comes ahead the expected opening of tourism and hospitality from 15 July.

A number of cafes are also set to open on Monday.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.