Marcus Wareing, the chef of Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus in the UK, told Sky News that the hospitality industry is in danger of collapsing unless it receives more help from the state.

Marcus Wareing, the chef of the Michelin-starred Marcus restaurant, made in a statement after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said businesses in the hospitality industry can slowly open in June:

“I am incredibly nervous about the future, I have no clue how to deal with social distancing in a kitchen or in hospitality. For me and my colleagues in the industry, we need some guidelines and we need it soon. We can’t sit at home just hoping we may get some titbits of information to show us how to go forward. We are very concerned – we were the first to close down and we’re going to be the last to reopen. I’m worried for my own health and my staff and customers, it’s really a scary thing to think we’re going to have to go to work in a kitchen which is very much an open playing field where staff are very much a team, they’re connecting with each other, they’re tasting food. All cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs were forced to close on 20 March- three days before the lockdown – with some carrying on with takeaway, but restaurants like Wareing’s were not able to do so. You’ve got your wages, your rent, your bills, your staff, the maths do not add up. Take on some leaders of our industry, get them into government, we need to talk about how we can move forward. My industry wants to go back to work, we can do this, but we need clear guidelines and it needs to come from above. The hospitality industry will be one of the industries hit the hardest unless the government does something about it. You’re going to see a lot of restaurants close and a huge amount of unemployment. Our industry is on the verge of collapse.”