Reopening Plans Down the Drain: Hospitality Work Under Pressure
As pubs and bars across the UK prepared to reopen after lockdown, strong teamwork skills became essential for hospitality staff, who faced new rules, constant updates, and the daunting task of rebuilding operations from scratch.
Between March 2020 and the summer of 2021, the UK hospitality sector lost around £25 billion in revenue. Nearly a third of licensed venues were forced to close their doors, some permanently. By the time restrictions began to lift, many teams were returning to half-stocked cellars, new operating guidance, and fewer staff than before.
For one well-known bar group, that pressure hit a little harder when a perfect pre-opening plan went awry and the beer was flowing quite literally.
“It Was Uncharted Territory”
When asked to recall the general feelings about opening up after the lockdown, one team member said:
“The atmosphere was tense. New legislation and rules were coming in daily, and advice seemed to change every five minutes. It was uncharted territory for sure. We had to stay compliant and responsible while still delivering the experience our customers expected after the doors had been closed for so long.“
140 Kegs, One Cellar, and a Lesson in Teamwork Skills
To ensure every venue could open on time, the operations team gathered at the group’s largest site — the one with the biggest cellar.
It became the hub for emptying and redistributing over 140 beer kegs from multiple venues. Around 10 people were involved, including site managers, operations directors, and everyone in between, who were determined to get it done before opening day.
But halfway through, the cellar’s drainage system decided it had other plans.
Chaos in the Cellar: Team Management in Action
“It was a laugh-or-cry moment,” our source said. “It honestly looked like that scene in Titanic where the water starts creeping down the hallways!”
Within minutes, beer was flooding out of the cellar and pooling across the kitchen floor. “We were fully covered, it was one of those moments where you just have to get on with it and come up with a solution.”
Chefs Kiss (of Death): Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The chefs had just completed a full deep clean and disinfection of the kitchen, ready for reopening.
“They were less than enthused,” came the diplomatic reply. “But it was one of those things. Everyone mucked in to get it sorted. Once it was under control, we rewarded them with a few well-earned cold pints.”
It takes serious teamwork skills to deep-clean a commercial kitchen. Coordinating zones, timings, and hygiene standards under pressure. When the team realised the flood had undone hours of work, everyone instinctively slipped into task mode: one person mopped, another sanitised, and another cleared the drains. That kind of flow only happens when people know how to work as one.
Building Teamwork Skills on the Job
Despite the sticky situation, the team rallied quickly.
“It really showed who could step up when things got messy. Not just the managers, but everyone on the team,” they said. “People just jumped in, applied their teamwork skills, worked out solutions on the fly, and stayed focused on keeping the reopening on track.”
The key turning point? “Getting a new pump! That made all the difference.”
Sticky Floors and Gallows Humour
Even in chaos, humour found its place. Adorned in their new Adidas Gazelle trainers, our source recalls how they were the stars of the show:
“I just kept shouting ‘Not the gazelles!’ every time I stepped into a beer puddle. It became our little in-joke from that day forward. Any time something went wrong, someone would shout it across the bar.”
That sense of humour wasn’t unique — in fact, 68 % of regular pub-goers later said what they most looked forward to after lockdown was “socialising with friends and family again.” The return of laughter and normality mattered as much as the first pint poured.
A Flood of Lessons: How Teamwork Skills Keep Teams Afloat
What started as a total logistical nightmare quickly became a testament to the team’s teamwork skills, ability to stay calm, problem-solving on the spot, and pulling together when it mattered most. The flood might have added to the chaos of reopening, but it strengthened a team that refused to let it sink their spirits.
Across the UK, food-led pubs dropped by around 7.6 % after the pandemic, and community pubs by almost 12 % — proof that recovery required more than reopening doors. It required teams who could think fast, stay positive, and adapt under pressure.
Whether it’s hospitality, logistics, or recruitment, the real test of a great team isn’t when everything runs smoothly; it’s when everything floods at once.
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