Covid Omicron variant has turned 'Mad Friday' into a sad day for Scotland's hospitality industry. Here’s how we can help – Susan Dalgety

There are only three days to go until Mad Friday. Traditionally, the Friday before Christmas is the most popular night out for work Christmas parties.
Christmas party cancellations following the arrival of the Omicron Covid variant have hit pubs and restaurants hard (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)Christmas party cancellations following the arrival of the Omicron Covid variant have hit pubs and restaurants hard (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Christmas party cancellations following the arrival of the Omicron Covid variant have hit pubs and restaurants hard (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

This year it falls on Friday 17 December – the earliest one for a few years to avoid Christmas Eve – but it promises to be more sad than mad.

With the Omicron variant spreading like wildfire, raucous Christmas parties are off limits. City hotels and restaurants, which depend on the festive season to boost their cash flow for the rest of the year, are facing Armageddon as people rush to cancel events.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Instead of bingeing on Prosecco and gin, while pulling crackers with the middle-aged blokes from IT, most people will celebrate their work Christmas party via Microsoft Teams. If they are (un)lucky enough, their boss will offer to host a quiz.

The city’s police and ambulance services won’t miss Mad Friday. Instead of rushing to break up fights on Lothian Road, they might be able to spend their time more usefully.

But it is a disaster for our hospitality industry. And it is not just the restaurant and pub owners who will suffer. Staff will see their hours cut and tips disappear in the run-up to Christmas.

Read More
Covid Scotland: Hotel party featuring Take That tribute band linked to coronavir...

And the firms that supply hospitality venues with everything you need for a Christmas knees-up, from Brussel sprouts to artisan gin, will see their orders dry up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Scotland’s Night Time Industry Association has called for a grant package to protect the most vulnerable small businesses in the sector, saying it is “morally and economically untenable” to expect them to pay the price for Omicron.

We can play our part too. If you had a Christmas party planned and have been forced to cancel, why not re-book it with the same venue for early next year? This would give our hospitality industry some hope for the future as they face a bleak Christmas. And it would give you something to look forward to in the most miserable weeks of the year.

Screeching ‘Last Christmas’ while knocking back tequila shots may not be what you had planned for the third Friday in February, but it might just save your neighbourhood restaurant or local pub. And it sounds a lot more fun than yet another dreary Zoom drinks night.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.