The Gannet to reduce opening hours due to staffing issues

What’s happened? The Gannet will no longer open Monday to Wednesday from September, due to a lack of staff.

With the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, restrictions and Brexit, the industry is facing a staffing crisis with experts saying the full impact of the last 18 months is yet to be seen.

What are The Gannet opening hours? The Gannet is currently open Wednesday to Sunday until 10.30pm but from September, it’ll be open Thursday to Sunday, serving dinner on Thursday and lunch and dinner Friday to Sunday.

Owner and chef, Peter McKenna said: “We have been advertising for staff since before we reopened but we haven’t been able to employ more chefs. I have a brilliant team working with me and I want to ensure they have a decent work life balance.

“To ensure the wellbeing of the team and business we will have to raise the menu price to fall in line with our contemporaries in the city.

“We obviously have not taken this decision lightly. If the perfect storm of Covid and Brexit ever passes and we can find the right candidates, we will consider going back to a five day a week operation.

“Some of the chefs in our kitchen went back to Spain and Italy due to the pandemic and they are not welcome back to the UK because of Brexit. Let’s face it, if you have the choice to come to a post-Brexit Britain or go to a country in the EU, what would you choose?

“Scotland has done a fantastic job of marketing hospitality, there’s real pride in local sourcing, we are singing the praises of the restaurant experience. That hard work is all in vain if you can’t find the staff.”

The Gannet isn’t the only big name restaurant that has reduced its hours due to lack of staff. Earlier this month The Peat Inn in Fife stopped its lunch service for the foreseeable future.