Just 18 months ago, Chancellor Rachel Reeves promised to make Britain the best place in the world for entrepreneurs to “scale up and stay.”
But hikes to business rates and employer’s National Insurance contributions, measures that were introduced alongside, hit small businesses hard.
Hospitality has taken a particular knock. Inflation has led to massive increases in our operating costs, most of which we’re unable to pass on as there are limits to what our customers are able and willing to pay.
If you wonder why Taste Tibet is still catering festivals all these years after opening the restaurant, the truth is that events have become integral to our survival.
Today, few festivals are hugely profitable, but get the gigs right and quick cash can be a life-saver for a small business.
But why must we close the shop while we’re off at Glastonbury? Well, our team is tiny, and far from being able to scale up right now, we’ve actually reduced our headcount over the last year.
Part of this is down to cost. We’ve always been super proud to provide employment opportunities, but we have to consider our staffing more carefully these days.
And there’s another reason we’ve stopped growing our team: recently the government removed chefs from the list of occupations eligible for sponsorship. We’ve made some brilliant hires using this route, but can now no longer recruit from overseas.
In the U.K., three hospitality businesses are closing every day. In this climate, expansion is not an option. Until recently, Yeshi always talked about running multiple Taste Tibets. The dream was to get people talking about his homeland, one momo at a time.
But the key to survival appears to be staying small. Our business remains viable because everyone in the team is willing to spin plates. One day we’re your local neighbourhood restaurant. The next we’re cooking outdoors in a field.
Wherever we pitch up, 20% of what you pay for your meal goes directly to HMRC.
Our industry is actively lobbying government to reduce VAT rates down to 10%. If you’d welcome price easing and share our concern for hospitality as a whole, please sign this petition. There’s a reason that so many wonderful spots are shutting doors, but it’s not too late to do something for the places still trying to serve you.
A reminder that our June/July opening hours are as follows:
Fri: 5-9.30pm (dinner only)
Saturday: 21-3/ 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3 / 5-9pm
This week’s menu is up on the website – check it. Come for dine in, take away and a restock of your freezer. A heads up that we’re currently out of sepen chill oil – bear with us!
If you haven’t already, sign up to the newsletter here so that you can keep track of our movements during the nomadic summer months. Every Postcard From Tibet also contains a discount or freebie.
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Julie and Yeshi
Opening hours this week:
Weds – Fri: 5-9.30pm
Saturday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9.30pm
Sunday: 12-3pm 🥢 5-9pm
☏ 01865 499318
Do you have the Taste Tibet cookbook? Grab it here or please take a minute to leave a review.
