Northampton British Tapas restaurant reopens for collection-only service tonight

Jennie Bowmaker is firing up her kitchens at Bread & Pullet again with a new call and collect takeaway service
Jennie Bowmaker set up her 48-seat restaurant in Wellingborough Road two years ago.Jennie Bowmaker set up her 48-seat restaurant in Wellingborough Road two years ago.
Jennie Bowmaker set up her 48-seat restaurant in Wellingborough Road two years ago.

Popular British Tapas restaurant in Wellingborough Road, Bread & Pullet, is kick-starting its takeaway service again tonight (Thursday) after the restaurant has been closed for almost two months since the country went into lockdown on March 23.

Boss, Jennie Bowmaker, is now offering a 'call and collect service', instead of the original delivery service, as only two staff members will be working at one time to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

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The new service will work by customers calling the restaurant - preferably the day before - placing their order and paying over-the-phone to avoid cash payments. Orders can also be placed in advance, on email, with a call back service.

Bread & Pullet will then give a time for collection where a queuing system will be in place outdoors and staff will be separated from customers by a two-metre wide table barrier.

Jennie said: "At the moment we are opening from Thursday to Saturday evenings and Sundays but we will see what our customers want.

"We are advising customers to pre-order where possible so we can stagger pick-up times, as only two of us are working and we need to be organised.

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"We decided to reopen as the Government has said that people can go out as much as they like whilst respecting social distancing so we didn’t feel it was going against Government advice and I also wanted to wait until our staff felt comfortable coming back to work."

For the next Bank Holiday weekend, the restaurant is also planning a one-off at-home takeaway picnic, with a children's menu available, if the weather permits.

She added: "The current situation with regards to the hospitality industry is a worry for us all, the uncertainty is the worst part.

"We are just waiting and adapting where we can to try and keep our businesses viable for the future. Who knows what restrictions will be in place for restaurants in particular when we can reopen for in-house diners but we must change and adapt to keep the industry working and to keep so many people in the UK in employment.

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"Timing wise, July is the very earliest we could reopen and that relies on us all adhering to the Government's guidance on social distancing and hygiene.

"We can’t wait to get back to ‘normal’ but rushing the situation would only set us back. The health of my employees and everyone else is the priority. Fingers crossed small independent businesses in particular can get through this and we must all do our best to help that happen - we should support local."

To view Bread & Pullet's menu and stay updated, visit their Facebook page here.