{"id":2152,"date":"2022-01-20T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T09:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebayfishandchips.co.uk\/?p=2152"},"modified":"2022-01-19T16:40:36","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T16:40:36","slug":"reflecting-on-the-challenges-and-memories-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebayfishandchips.co.uk\/reflecting-on-the-challenges-and-memories-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflecting on the challenges and memories of 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
As another year comes to an end, it’s safe to say that 2021 was yet another strange one. A lot has happened at The Bay with the uncertainty leading to some changes being made\u2026again, but overall there have been some fantastic achievements and many amazing memories with the team. Calum reflects on the past year and looks forward to 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n How would you summarise the past year for The Bay?<\/strong><\/p>\n The past year was a good one if you were willing to adapt. The hardest thing for us was definitely having to close 4 times with staff members self-isolating. Of course, we don\u2019t plan for closure so it can be costly with stock, let alone turnover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What were your key achievements and memories of 2021?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n There were so many memorable moments it\u2019s hard to just choose a few. Being part of and launching the <\/span>\u201cGalley” cookbook<\/span><\/a> in aid of the <\/span>Royal Navy Royal Marine Charity<\/span><\/a> was amazing as the charity is very close to my heart.<\/span><\/p>\n We also proudly catered for the <\/span>COP26 Climate Conference<\/span><\/a> which was a once in a lifetime event – we were so honoured to be asked to do this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout the year we\u2019ve also provided the catering for Outlander\u2019s team and cast <\/span>twice<\/span> at the request of Sam Heughan himself which was an incredible experience. Not forgetting the filming we did for <\/span>\u2018The Great Railway\u2019 with Michael Portillo<\/span><\/a>, a truly surreal moment.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve also loved watching our manager Paul grow in confidence and take his new role in his stride.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And of course\u2026.I got married!! It\u2019s definitely no secret now, that was certainly a highlight in my year, and my twins started at Mackie academy, so they’re standout memories of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n How did you adapt in 2021 to meet the needs of your customers?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n We continued with our click & collect and delivery services and kept our doors closed to customers to protect our staff. We also invested in a new EPOS system to give us more control of stock, ordering, and flexibility to change things more easily. As always, we continue to wear face masks at all times while inside The Bay and have adapted our opening hours to suit the needs of our customers during the different times and holidays of the year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Did 2021 allow you to slow down and reflect on things such as staff welfare?<\/strong><\/p>\n Big time. It made us realise that there is no point chasing the money but it\u2019s better to ensure everyone has a healthy work-life balance. We\u2019ve made the decision to close 2 hours earlier to allow our staff to spend evenings with family and we\u2019re closed most of the lunchtimes at the moment, so everyone can have free time for uni, college, and any other hobbies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How important is staff welfare to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Without staff you don\u2019t have a business so it\u2019s important to look after their welfare.<\/span><\/p>\n What are you putting in place to prioritise staff welfare in 2022?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n