Coronavirus – Our Approach

*** UPDATE 24/03/20 ***

It is with the heaviest of hearts we must announce that – following The Prime Minister’s address to the nation last night, that The Gipsy Hill Taproom and The Douglas Fir will now close completely.  The health and well being of our staff and loyal customers remains the most important thing during these times, and therefore both sites will now remain shut for on and off-trade sales until further notice.

Our online shop will remain open for you to continue to order our beers to drink at home.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Stay safe and look after yourselves, and we look forward to welcoming you back when we reopen our doors. It’s going to be one hell of a party.

Lots of love,

The Gipsy Hill family xx

*** UPDATE 19/03/20 ***

In light of the ever changing circumstances and advice from the Government regarding the spread of Coronavirus, we wanted to update you all with our current plans for both The Taproom and Douglas Fir.

• The Taproom will remain open for the time being for both on and off-trade sales, with the additional precautions outlined below remaining in place. We have also removed a number of tables from the site to improve social distancing. The Douglas Fir will remain open for off-trade sales ONLY
• All regular planned activities such as Run Club, Quiz Night and Brewery Tours will NOT take place.
• Our staff are under no obligation to work, but we want to ensure they have the opportunity to do so if they feel comfortable.
• We will continue to operate takeout sales from The Taproom and Douglas Fir for customers who would prefer to drink in the comfort of their home, with 20% off all small-pack beer to take away. You can grab takeout beers during opening hours from both venues, or from the Taproom at any time during brewery opening hours (Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm, plus during Taproom hours).
• We are working on further solutions to provide at-home delivery services to our regulars. In the meantime, we recommend purchase of our beers via our online e-commerce store or on Deliveroo.

The safety of our patrons and staff remains at the very forefront of our minds, and we will be reviewing this policy on a daily basis. Please check our social media feeds for any further updates.

---

COVID-19 has become a larger part of everyone’s life in the past few weeks than we could ever have imagined.

As a family friendly and fully accessible space, we thought it only right that we let you know the measures we will be taking to protect everyone who enters our venues, especially the most vulnerable members of our community.

Actions our team will be taking:

• All staff will thoroughly wash and sanitise hands on entry and regularly throughout their shifts. We are fully stocked with antibacterial soap and sanitiser stations around the venue and our staff will be taking regular hand wash breaks throughout.
• Venue sanitation. Our team will be making sure that all regular use surfaces are disinfected hourly. This includes, door handles, bar areas and toilet facilities.
• All staff will use disposable gloves when collecting glasses and make sure to avoid touching the rim of glasses at any time.

What can you do to help us?

Our bars will still be open and ready to serve you over our usual opening hours unless government guidelines suggest otherwise. All we’re asking is that when attending one of our venues, you take a few basic steps to protect yourself and those around you.

• Please wash your hands when you enter and help us refrain from accidentally bringing any nasties into the venue. You’ll find details on how to effectively wash your hands by the sink area in each of our sites. Washing for 20 seconds (or the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice) should do the trick.
• Catch any coughs or sneezes in a tissue or the crook of your elbow. After using a tissue please dispose of it in one of the bins around the venue.
• If able to, please return your glasses to the end of the bar into the glass racks provided. By doing this, we can minimise the risk of any contamination. Our staff will still be regularly collecting glasses using gloves but every little helps.
• If you’re feeling ill, maybe give it a miss until you’re feeling better. We’re proud to be able to welcome a variety of customers to our venues including children, the elderly and people with disabilities but what may be a slight cold for you, could translate to something much more worrying for others.
• Relax and enjoy the bar! Times like these can be stressful but closing off from the outside world can worsen side effects like anxiety and depression.

Rest assured, if you visit The Taproom or any of our other sites, we will be doing everything in our power to make sure the space is a happy, safe and welcoming place for everyone to hang out.