Manchester hospitality leaders put out ‘rallying cry’ to help local restaurants and bars through Covid-19 crisis

#PayitForward campaign will support hospitality sector with discounted voucher scheme

In support of Manchester’s hospitality sector, Manchester PR agency Roland Dransfield – along with Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Adviser, Sacha Lord, and other key hospitality leaders in the city – is launching #PayitForward, in response to the escalating Covid-19 pandemic and recent Government advice to stay away from bars and restaurants.

The campaign will encourage the people of Greater Manchester and further afield to buy discounted vouchers at participating restaurants between now and Easter, with a view to redeeming them from May onwards.

For each voucher purchased, restaurants will make a £1 donation to Hospitality Action, the charity which offers vital assistance to all who work within hospitality in the UK.

The initiative has been launched by Roland Dransfield and Sacha Lord, and is backed by Northern Restaurant and Bar (NRB), chef Aiden Byrne, Manchester Hoteliers’ Association, Manchester Hospitality Network and more.

“Manchester is a city that dances on tables, not hides under them”, said Lisa Morton, CEO & Founder of Roland Dransfield. “We are also a city that supports one other in the face of adversity.

“This campaign aims to raise consciousness and support for those businesses which are suffering right now, and will help to get cash in their tills.”

Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Adviser, said: “I’ve spoken to the Mayor, and whilst people should heed official Government advice and take the necessary precautions, we also want people to continue to enjoy the night time economy.

“#PayitForward will encourage people to consider how badly some of our city’s best-loved hospitality institutions are suffering currently, and to support them when they most need it.”

Specific discounts will be determined by each individual restaurant or hospitality company and will be promoted on their websites and social media accounts. Customers will be able to view the full list of participating venues on a dedicated website, www.pay-it-forward.co.uk.

Thom Hetherington, CEO of Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB), said: “Manchester’s hospitality industry has been at the forefront of the city’s recent renaissance, feeding and watering its residents and workers whilst attracting visitors by the million.

“The threat it faces, with Covid-19 and the resultant government interventions compounding an already challenging trading environment, is existential, so we at NRB will fully back any initiative that will help Mancunian bars and restaurants weather this particular storm.”

Mark Lewis, CEO, Hospitality Action, said: “The value of this fantastic initiative is two-fold: first, it’ll give the public a whole new means of supporting the city’s hospitality operators, who are taking such a devastating hit to trading; and second, it’ll create much-needed funds for us to help hospitality people in difficulty or crisis.”

Details of participating venues can be found on pay-it-forward.co.uk, which will launch from 17 March, and venues which would like to participate are encouraged to contact [email protected].