Restaurant group plans phased reopening

Seven, the family-run Derbyshire restaurant business which owns Seven Restaurant & Café Bar on Pride Park in Derby and The White Hart in the centre of Duffield, says it it preparing itself for reopening.

Owners at the business say they expect a phase re-opening to begin next month (July).

Operations director Campbell Salloway said@ “Our business is community-focussed, whether that community is the people in and around Pride Park or the residents of Duffield, and we have been desperately keen to maintain our role in those communities whilst strictly observing safety measures and Government guidelines.

“We started by firing up our sourdough pizza oven at The White on Fridays for a ‘call & collect’ service and this proved so successful that we now offer a varied menu from Thursday to Sunday, including our renowned Sunday carvery.

“It is so rewarding to stay in touch with our customers during these difficult times and we have been overawed by the support we have received.

While unable to open its venues to the public, the company launched ‘Seven to you’, offering a mixed menu of its favourites and new dishes available on both call & collect and Deliveroo.

Campbell Salloway added: “The demand has been overwhelming and we have quickly become the top-rated restaurant on Deliveroo. We are ever so grateful to our customers for backing our efforts.

It is not yet clear when restaurants will be able to properly re-open their doors but managing director Helen Salloway is continuing to plan.

The company has launched call & collection and Deliveroo service during lockdown

She said: “The restaurant business requires a lot of planning ahead. For example, we have recently been planning our Christmas menus by cooking-off and sampling new dishes and we are already receiving bookings. But we must also ensure that we are ready to re-open in whatever form that might be.

“It has been inspiring and reassuring to see the reaction to our ‘Seven to You’ and ‘call & collect’ offerings. But at the end of the day, we are a hospitality business and along with our staff and local suppliers, we are eager to get back to welcoming our customers and delivering our special Seven experience.

“We are putting all the plans in place to be ready to re-open as soon as we are allowed and as soon as it is safe to do so and only then can we truly re-establish our role at the heart of our communities.”