August 4th. Put it in your diaries. We are reopening for dining in – and we re taking bookings already.
Of course the shop has been open for a number of weeks now. And we are loving our new toy, the Persepolis To Go website, which enables you to order food to be delivered or for collection. We might just keep that going after all this lockdown rubbish as it is certainly keeping the cycle riding cohorts amongst our staff fit…
But there is nothing quite like dining in, now is there? We love to cook for you – but it’s a lot more fun when we can actually extend our hospitality to you as well.
Obviously we can’t go straight back to the way things were – we are a small restaurant, and moderately responsible as well (which is why we closed a week before the government made it a thing). So for the time being we will be offering three sittings in the evening only, each one accommodating a maximum of fourteen people. The sittings will be from 6pm – 7.30pm, 7.30 pm – 9pm, and 9pm – 10.30pm. We will accept group bookings of up to eight. Because space is at a premium, we will be asking for a deposit of £5 a head for ALL bookings, and we will basically be cooking off-piste, fresh stuff for our customers every evening – just let us know if you have any allergies, and we will bring forth a feast. The price per head is £20. We will add a 10% service charge to every bill (it all goes to the staff, honest). Our a la carte menu will come back, but only when lockdown eases.
In case you needed extra choccie drops to lure you back in, we have signed up to the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme. We have no idea how it works yet – but it does mean that diners from Monday to Wednesday get to eat out at half price (receiving up to £10 a head discount). It’s a no brainer really – we’re expecting to be packed.
If things go well we will then start opening daytime at the weekends as well. And we might also, um, appropriate some pavement if the weather gets its act together. Like every other small business across the country we are making this up as we go, so bear with us.
Onwards and upwards.
PS: On a boring-but-reassuring-note: Our staff will all wear masks, and our tables will all be suitably spaced. Our fittings, fixtures and the loos will all be cleaned with anti-bacterial agents regularly throughout the evening. Sanitising hand gel is available, and there is anti-bacterial soap in the cloakroom. In return we expect our customers to apply a little common sense. If you’re feeling ill, don’t come. (We will be taking names and addresses to facilitate Track and Trace should that become necessary.) And keep a respectful distance from other tables if you need to walk around the restaurant.