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GUIDANCE FOR WHITBREAD INNS GUESTS

A note for guests visting our restaurants 

At Cookhouse + Pub, it’s always a warm welcome from the minute you walk through the restaurant doors. Our great menu means you can make the most of your experience whilst you're with us. We have taken great care to ensure you feel safe during your visit, find out more about our Generous serving of safety promise

Our latest Covid-19 guidelines

England

Our restaurants in England are open. Face coverings are now a personal choice, although we’d encourage you to wear them in enclosed spaces, just to be considerate of others when dining with us.

The latest government guidelines for England can be found by visiting www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Scotland

Our restaurants in Scotland are open.

  • Face coverings must be worn in our restaurants

The latest government guidelines for Scotland can be found by visiting gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19

Wales

Our restaurants in Wales are open.

Face coverings are now a personal choice, although we’d encourage you to wear them in enclosed spaces, just to be considerate of others when dining.

The latest government guidelines for Wales can be found by visiting gov.wales/coronavirus

Frequently asked questions for COVID-19

Whilst not mandatory, we would encourage all guests book a table online before visiting to avoid disappointment and unnecessary queues. 

Due to new laws passed by each devolved government, please refer to the guidance above

From the very moment you arrive at the restaurant, your safety is our priority guests can expect the same warm welcome, we’re famous for:

  • It is personal choice in England and Wales whether you wear a facemask when entering and moving around the restaurant. In Scotland and Northern Ireland you must continue to wear a face covering, unless seated at your table. (see exclusions below)
  • The host will explain the service in our restaurant. 
  • You’ll be given a menu which will be cleaned thoroughly after use.
  • You will be able to order drinks from the bar and food at your table.
  • We have removed restrictions in our toilets, we still ask that you are courteous to others.
  • It is mandatory for guests visiting our restaurants in Scotland and Northern Ireland to wear a face covering when moving around the restaurant.
  • It’s not necessary to wear a face covering when seated at your table.
  • Face coverings are not mandatory for the following guests:
    • Guests with medical exemptions or a reasonable excuse
    • Children under 5 in Scotland
    • Children under 13 in NI and ROI

We have created a gold standard in our “A Generous Serving of Safety” promise. This means that we strive to provide the safest possible environment for your visit by providing easy access to hand sanitiser, keeping some measures to control distancing such as screens in some instances and barriers at our buffet areas, reducing touch points where possible and increasing levels of cleaning and disinfection throughout the restaurant using products certified according to European Standards and effective against COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we’ve rolled out additional safety measures across all our restaurants. These include but are not limited to:

Hand Sanitising

  • Hand sanitisers will be placed at the entrance and exit and in other high traffic areas.

Maintaining Distance

  • We will be following the most up to date government social distancing guidelines, applicable to each of the nations.
  • Social distancing measures, whilst not mandatory we recommend that you continue to maintain a safe distance.
  • We have left screens in place at our host stands, till areas and beside some restaurant tables. 

Protective equipment for our teams

  • We’ve provided our team members with protective equipment including hand sanitiser, gloves and aprons for cleaning. Following the government guidance on the need to wear face masks in a restaurant setting, all our teams have been provided with face masks and will be wearing them if they choose to do so in England and Wales and will continue to wear them in Northern Ireland and Scotland. 

  • It is not mandatory for our kitchen teams to wear visors or face coverings during service, but can if they feel more comfortable to do so.

Reducing Touch Points

  • Our menus will be available and sanitised after each use.
  • Allergen menus will be available and will be sanitised after each guest use.
  • Contactless payment is encouraged.
  • Seasonings and condiments will be delivered in sachets for food consumed in our garden areas. For in restaurant dining, sauces will be delivered in individual sauce pots with a rigorous cleaning process in between each use. Seasonings will be delivered in sachets or served on the table in pots and grinders, these will be thoroughly cleaned after each use. 

Increased Cleaning

  • Our teams have specific cleaning duties throughout the day and high contact areas in our restaurants are regularly sanitised.
  • Each table will be cleaned between visits.
  • Our cleaning products are certified according to European Standards and effective against COVID-19. 

We have a longstanding partnership with Diversey – one of the world’s leading suppliers of cleaning and hygiene products. Diversey provide products to a vast range of industries across the world, including some used by the NHS and other healthcare settings.  We are using chemicals that sanitise our restaurants to the standard of EN14476 for viricidal efficacy.  This means the products used are proven to be effective in killing COVID-19.

Our rigorous training scheme ensures our team members have a well-informed understanding of the disease and its transmission. It provides guidance on appropriate social distancing and use of personal choice equipment (PCE), as well as physical and mental health monitoring and support.

We also have a dedicated team listening forum, with representatives from across our estate, to gain regular feedback and insights.

We have made a significant investment into the provision of a range of PCE, including gloves, aprons and hand sanitisers. Following government guidance, all our teams have been provided with face masks. Additionally, our kitchen team members have been provided with visors if they would prefer to wear one when they are working in the kitchen. 

In the unlikely event you are not satisfied with the standard of cleanliness at the restaurant please alert the General Manager as soon as possible and they will be more than happy to help resolve the issue.

  • Our line managers check in with their team members regularly to check on their wellbeing

  • If a team member is unwell, they will be sent home immediately and advised to call 111.

  • Our tables are cleaned after each visit.
  • Where appropriate we have provided screening to separate tables.
  • Sanitiser stations are available throughout the restaurant. 

Test and Trace is no longer a mandatory requirement to enter our restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales. There will be an Test and Trace / Test and Protect / Test, Trace, Protect QR code available at the entrance. For adults Test and Trace / Test and Protect / Test, Trace, Protect  is mandatory in Northern Ireland.

Guest’s who leave their information, should be reassured that this will be securely stored for 21 days, then deleted from our records. Rest assured, we are recording this information solely to assist the NHS with the government’s Test and Trace/Test and Protect / Test, Trace, Protect  initiatives and will not use your personal data for any other purpose.

  • Our teams regularly clean and sanitise our machines.
  • Signage is present throughout the restaurant reminding guests to regularly wash and sanitise their hands.