With the government’s announcement of lockdown restrictions being relaxed and the allowance of restaurants, bars, and other establishments to reopen, many of Leicester’s own award-winning restaurants will be following suit.

Whilst there are still plenty of restrictions in place, showing that this pandemic is far from over, there will be lots of activities which will be deemed acceptable, most of which have to still adhere to strict distancing and PPE usage rules.

Restaurants and bars that are planning to open on the 4th July are no exception here. Capacity will be reduced to promote better distancing between customers, there will be table-service in pubs so customers do not huddle around at the bar, but customers will not be asked to wear face coverings.

Image Credit: Michael Browning, Unsplash

Sarah Harrison, city centre director at Leicester City Council, said: “We have all missed not visiting our favourite restaurants and welcome the announcement from the government that the hospitality sector can start reopening from the 4th July.

“New social distancing and other measures will be in place to keep staff and customers safe and although the experience will be different, the food will be just as delicious.

“We would ask customers to be patient with restaurant staff and understand that the new measures in place are to help protect the health and wellbeing of them and their loved ones.”

These safe regulations mean customers will be able to finally visit their favourite restaurant in a week’s time! Most places will require that you book a space due to the lower capacities and to avoid too much footfall from people walking in off the street to see if there are any free tables. So, if you’re looking to visit somewhere on the 4th, make sure you’ve firstly checked they are open, and secondly that you can book a table!

Some more good news is that you’ll be able to meet up with members of 1 other household too! So you can finally do that double date you’ve been planning since lockdown ruined those plans.