Covid 19 coronavirus: Stratford cafes and restaurants reopen in Level Three

Tarek Amin says he is happy to have been able to reopen the doors of his restaurant in Stratford.

Adapting with a smile was the method for many of Stratford's eateries that re-opened their doors to the public last week.

Under level 3rules, food places were allowed to open as long as they offered contactless pick up or delivery.

Andrea Wellington is the manager at Colonel Malones in Stratford which opened for takeaways on Wednesday night for the first time.

"It's been different certainly. It's not the same as having our customers come in and have a chat."

While the doors were closed during level 4, the staff were planning for level 3.

"We are quite lucky as we had the side window in the restaurant part already, so we can hand the food out through that."

Amber Lister hands a takeway order to a customer at Colonel Malones.

A sign-in sheet is outside the window for contact tracing when they collect their food. Hand sanitiser is also available.

"We give each person a separate pick up slot, so there won't be people gathering outside or queuing up in a big line."

A sign in sheet and a bottle of hand sanitiser sit outside Colonel Malones.

All ordering is done online, says Andrea and the menu offers plenty of variety.

"The favourites are all there. There is a good choice."

Andrea says she and the staff are glad to be back at work, and while they miss the usual chat and banter with the customers, they are glad they can at least start seeing them again.

Fiona Roberts says they have appreciated the support of their customers.

Fiona Roberts who, along with Steve Roberts, owns and operates the Stadium Bar and Bistro in Stratford, says they are also missing their regulars.

"Some of them still won't be back as they are from other towns, they would eat here after sports, so we haven't seen all of our regulars back yet."

While in level 4, Fiona and Steve started making plans for level 3, as well as thinking about the business overall, she says.

"It is unknown what will be happening with sports overall yet in the next few months, and a lot of our customers come here because of the sport, so we have also been looking at how we are going to pull the business through generally."

She and Steve were confident it was worth opening in level 4 she says.

"When we were out and about, people would ask if we were going to be opening. I think everyone has been looking forward to a night off cooking."

Getting their website set up to take online ordering was a cinch, says Fiona, thanks to a daughter in law who is "really savvy with websites and the internet".

While they already had takeaway containers for normal use, they have made some changes now says Fiona.

"We put thought into how the food would be transported, so it's things like having a secure lid for a container of mushroom sauce, and we even have containers for the kid's ice creams."

Tarek Amin says he is happy to have been able to reopen the doors of his restaurant in Stratford.

Tarek Amin, owner of Sahara Kebabs and Grill with his wife Mamar, says they kept busy during level 4 but were happy to be re-opening.

"In level 4 we spent time showcasing some of the foods from Egypt on our Facebook page, showing it is more than just kebabs that I make. Our children helped and it was good spending time with them as well, teaching them."

The response to the Facebook posts was so positive, Tarek says they will be adding some new dishes to the menu in due course.

"It won't be until things have settled down. I only have two hands, and I do it all myself."

Tarek says he and his wife spent the days before re-opening getting the business set up for contactless pickups.

"It was so good to open. People said they were glad to see us, they had missed the food, the kebabs but also the desserts we make here."

The first day of takeaways was crazily busy, says Tarek.

"We had people calling the landline, others texting or calling the mobile and then also sending messages on Facebook. The girls who work here were so good and helpful and worked so hard."

The second day was smoother he says.

"Now we have it under control. People can find the menu on our Facebook page or on Google and once they order we get it ready for them to collect."

During lockdown, Tarek says he was touched by the support of the community.

"People asked us how they could help, how were we. That was nice and now we want to make sure we support them back. We are always thinking of how we can support the community here as well."