Restaurants welcome return of Valentine's Day bookings after 2021 closure

Restaurants have welcomed a return of Valentine's Day bookings after being unable to open due to lockdown restrictions last year.

Operators told The Caterer they were either fully booked or busier than expected for a Monday.

D&D London said its reserved covers were at a similar level to those seen on Valentine's Day in 2019 and 2020, while Gaucho and M Restaurants reported that bookings were stronger than two years ago.

Stuart Procter, chief operating officer of the Stafford Collection, said the group's London restaurants the Game Bird and Norma were fully booked and had been busy over the weekend. He added: "It seems everyone is keen to celebrate this year after the uncertainties of the past two Valentine's Days."

Alex Dicheva, brand manager of Arros QD in London, said: "We're usually closed on Mondays as we still haven't found all the staff we need to fill our vacancies, however we took the decision to open for Valentine's and the bookings are booming."

East Coast restaurant in Musselburgh, East Lothian, also usually closes on Mondays but decided to open for Valentine's Day. Owner Carlo Crolla said: "It's fantastic to see customer confidence starting to come back and it's given us a real boost to see the restaurant fully booked with so many familiar happy faces on Valentine's Day. It definitely gives us hope for the future recovery of the industry in 2022."

James Thomson, owner of Edinburgh's Prestonfield hotel and the Witchery by the Castle, said many people were taking the opportunity to book a long weekend in the city.

"Customer confidence has finally returned, and people seem desperate to enjoy wonderful experiences and add a bit of spice to their lives again," said Thomson.

Matt Grech Smith, chief executive of crazy golf concept Swingers, said its venues were close to being sold out at its City of London and West End sites. He added: "[It] is brilliant to see after we were forced to close last year."