A hotel is reopening one of its restaurants and promising al fresco dining "come rain or shine".
The Imperial Hotel's Nick and Aileen Mobbs together with fellow director, Grant Smith, say they are delighted to be re-opening their Great Yarmouth business, having been closed other than to business travellers since December 2020.
The fully-glazed Terrace restaurant has a fully retractable roof, meaning the restaurant is permitted to re-open to guests on Monday, April 12 for al fresco dining and drinks.
“Come rain or shine, people can dine,” says hotel director, Aileen Mobbs.
“In Step 2, government guidelines mean that The Terrace roof has to be completely retracted, so that all eating and drinking takes place outside.
"We are blessed that The Terrace has a remarkably sheltered position with walls on all four sides, and outdoor heaters if needed.
"We’ve also invested in some large parasols so that guests can carry on with their plans, whatever the weather."
In the event of bad weather, Mrs Mobbs added: "Guests are very welcome to bring their own blanket, especially if they are joining us for evening meals.”
The Terrace will be open daily, serving lunch, afternoon tea and dinner from 12pm to 8.30pm until Sunday, May 16, when it is anticipated that guidelines will change once again.
Hotel director, Grant Smith, said: ‘It’s great news that we can re-open The Terrace on Monday.
"It has been a really tough year since the first lockdown was announced more than 12 months ago in March 2020.
"We were so pleased to be able to re-open last summer, and our carefully thought through Covid-secure procedures worked brilliantly for us, keeping the team and our customers safe."
Some team members have also given a hand with hotel refurbishments.
Mr Mobbs said: “We’ve used more than 30 litres of paint throughout the hotel.
"We’ve also refurbished a number of bedrooms, which now also have air conditioning.
"I’m really pleased with our new exterior hotel signage.
"We have everything crossed for Mr Johnson’s road map, starting with re-opening the Terrace and for a great summer season, with bookings for hotel accommodation from May onwards already looking strong.”
Mr Mobbs added: "We're not fully booked yet - we've had 60 bookings for lunch and 80 for dinner."
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