UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls: ‘Mask rule about public perception, not science or logic’

The mandatory mask rule is primarily intended to “break down the taboo” of wearing them, and there are no plans to extend it beyond retail environments, MCA’s The Conversation has heard.

UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls reassured attendees that despite the confusion caused by various ministers “misspeaking” last week, the prime minister’s spokesman has since clarified that the rule - which comes into effect from 24 July - will not apply to hospitality spaces.

“It is only in retail environments, so the fact that you are called a coffee shop, does not mean you are a shop,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter whether a customer is walking into a coffee shop and picking up, or walking in to sit down, it’s irrelevant.”

“It doesn’t apply to coffee shops, grab and go, QSR, or any other kind of restaurant.”

Explaining the rationale behind the move, Nicholls said that rather than an effective safety measure, it is designed purely to normalise the use of face coverings, and subsequently increase confidence among the more concerned demographics.

According to research conducted by the government’s behavioural studies team, of those people who don’t yet feel comfortable returning to public spaces, 70%-80% said they would feel more confident if others were wearing masks.

“So, that’s what’s driven the government’s decision, rather than any particular science or logic,” said Nicholls. “It’s all about public perception and public confidence levels.”

Whilst this may be true for the next wave of consumers yet to return to hospitality spaces, Revolution Bars Group CEO Rob Pitcher said that the majority of his staff have opted not to wear masks and, so far, guests who have visited the businesses reopened sites have responded well.

Last week, the group received 4.9 stars (out of five) in ratings on TripAdvisor, he said, and “guests have been very complimentary about the protocols that we’ve put in place to keep them safe.”

“It’s a very small percentage of our team who are opting to wear face masks. We’ve provided enough for everybody, but very quickly they feel secure in the environment and very relaxed and comfortable with all the other measures that are in place.”

And it’s a similar story at Five Guys, added UK CEO John Eckbert.

Although staff are given the option to wear masks where distancing isn’t possible, it seems to be other hygiene measures that have installed confidence in consumers visiting the restaurants, he said.

Five Guys has implemented a new back of house operating format, screens in front of the tills, and a table service option, but Eckbert explained that it isn’t necessarily these new measures that have been the most effective.

“We’d already invested in extraction systems that are able to control the airflow in our kitchens to a level that I think is probably unusual within the industry, so, that’s really helped us to create a safe environment for the crew,” he said.

“And we tank every restaurant so you can fill it up like a swimming pool, because we essentially break down the kitchen and wash it down every night.

“We’ve historically been very focused on cleaning. I think our customers have noticed that, and it probably gives them a higher level of confidence knowing that it’s a super clean environment.”