Covid-19 winners and losers: the food business

Despite the boost from Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ offer, the restaurant sector has been amongst the biggest commercial casualties of lockdown. Pizza Express, one of a number of ‘casual dining’ brands which were already struggling before the virus hit, announced the closure of 73 restaurants, and hundreds of independent businesses, London’s somewhat notorious Cereal Killer Cafe amongst them, will not be reopening their doors. Meanwhile, home delivery services have boomed – Just Eat saw orders up 33% yr on yr in May. What happens now for food business owners across the UK?