Staff at this London bar are dressing as beekeepers as a safety measure

With bars and restaurants opening up worldwide in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some are striving to adhere to safety regulations creatively. One bar in London is taking a humorous approach to its staff wearing protective gear by dressing them as beekeepers.

Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals is based is part of the Inception Group's heritage brand based around the Victorian traveler, Phileas Fogg, star of Jules Verne’s 1872 novel, ‘Around the World in Eighty Days.' Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals is home to Fogg's vast collection of exotic flora and fauna from his travels.

In addition to the efforts to create safe socialising environments, which include the introduction of temperature checks for staff and hand sanitation dispensers placed throughout the venues, the group wants to embrace the post-pandemic protection measures with a sense of humour and fun. To this end, staff at the House of Botanicals will don beekeeping suits and veils to serve botanical-inspired cocktails to guests.

"Now more than ever before, people will need spaces that spark a sense of escapism and imagination," says co-founder Charlie Gilkes. "We do not want to welcome visitors back into sterile spaces that feel like airport security, and we are acutely aware that people won’t leave their homes to sit in a perspex prison. Hence, why we’ve come up with a series of playful solutions to new measures, which will be woven into our customer experience and hopefully may even enhance it."

The venue hopes that the unconventional protective suits will become just another eccentric part of the immersive experience that guests have come to enjoy at this unusual Victorian-styled botanical oasis. "I love this idea that Mr Fogg had a collection of beekeeping suits stored away that we could finally put to good use as a form of PPE," comments Gilkes. Further information on Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals can be found here.

Lockdowns are easing globally as the planet adjusts to a new normal. Find out how COVID-19 is changing travel.

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