Peter Martin: Dear Santa, the country needs a new train set

It was standing room only both inside and outside The Devonshire in London’s West End on Saturday afternoon. It was not just that Charlie Carroll’s and Oisin Rogers’ new pub venture is every bit as good as the rave reviews it has deservedly received - the whole of that part of Soho and Regents Street was alive with a mass of humanity out enjoying themselves.

The buzz was back in the West End. You could hardly move for the early festive throng window shopping, admiring the Christmas lights or, like us, out for a swift pint before a late, leisurely lunch.

Before I move on, a word or two about The Devonshire. It really is everything you want from a London pub. Yes, the bar was as packed as tight as a tin of anchovies, but the service was brisk and engaging and the Guinness everything you’d expect. Upstairs the restaurant was a calmer affair, but with a steady stream of afternoon diners.

Hotpot, suet pudding, grilled lobster, Iberico pork ribs, potted shrimp, scallops with bacon and malt vinegar, warm bread direct from the in-house bakery - all outstanding with the quality you expect from Mr Carroll and Mr Rogers. Family Martin will be back.

The Devonshire might have had the busiest bar, but that part of London was having a good Saturday. It seems all the data about Saturday afternoons being in growth is bang on.

This should all be encouraging news for the capital and its hospitality sector, but…..and there is always a but. Back at Euston Station for the trip home, the reality of Britain’s creaking infrastructure hits home. Avanti West Coast trains cancelled, local services overcrowded, the joy drains instantly.

Why people still come into London and put up with this, I have no idea. OK, it’s for great entertainment and hospitality on offer. But perhaps we are all also suffering from some form of travel amnesia? And it’s not just the capital city, Birmingham seemed to be afflicted in the same way on Saturday as well, with travellers left on platforms as packed evening trains pulled out of New Street.

RMT strikes may be on hold, but the train drivers are still delivering their Christmas present to the nation with ASLEF’s programme of rolling disruption. Then there’s good old Avanti, with the Government allowing it to cut back on pre-Christmas services because of staff shortages, just when you’d hope capacity would increase.

No wonder an exasperated Sarah Willingham, boss of largely London-based bar operator Nightcap, singled out rail strikes as a real and present threat to her business. She estimated that the “ruthless continuation” of the industrial action had cost the company £2.9m in lost revenue, and Nightcap wouldn’t achieve its full potential until the strikes were over.

The Government blathers on about supporting business, but if it really wanted to help commerce in the capital and other major cities, and I’m not talking just hospitality, it would at least try to get the railways working. The truth is it seems totally disinterested.

There’s a persuasive argument that sectors like hospitality, as well as individual companies, need to lobby as hard on broader economic and business issues as they do on sector specific challenges. Transport, planning, business tax in general, energy and the green agenda are all obvious candidates. Britain’s infrastructure needs rebuilding. Perhaps that should even be the sole focus?

Which, I suppose, brings us to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and what this administration is actually doing to encourage business and foster economic growth?

Looking broadly, Rishi Sunak’s investment summit at Hampton Court this week may well be the sort of event that will eventually benefit the wider economy - and as part of the service sector that would be good for hospitality. Pubs, bars and restaurants can’t operate in a vacuum.

But looking at specific support for hospitality, Jeremy Hunt’s statement brought only a modicum of cheer. The industry’s focus on business rates helped to deliver extended relief for smaller businesses, but nothing for the big boys - and certainly not the reform of the system that’s badly needed. We may have to wait until the election is done and dusted for any movement on that.

The reality is that costs are still rising, which will only widen the gap between the winners and the strugglers in the hospitality area - and in general that means the differing fortunes between groups and independents.

What we all want, and need, is a bumper festive season - and judging by Saturday’s crowds in London and the like, it may even be starting a little earlier this year. But even exceptionally run businesses like The Devonshire, with its experienced, skilled and intelligent owners helping to set it apart, can’t thrive without people. The sector needs all those obstacles that stop the public coming out removed.

The biggest Christmas wish may be a working train set.