This London Bar Is Using Beekeeper Suits As Protective Gear for Employees

Reopening restaurants as the coronavirus restrictions ease is a tricky business –– but at least one London bar is finding a clever way to do it.

The staff at Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals are wearing beekeeper suits in order to serve customers. The bar is well known for its botanical-inspired cocktails and attractive decor, in honor of the bar’s namesake, Phileas Fogg, from Jules Verne’s novel “Around the World in Eighty Days.”

While wearing a beekeeper suit may seem a bit unorthodox, it is a unique way to keep restaurant workers safe while still being able to do their jobs. Because, aside from going completely contact-free, restaurants are struggling to find solutions so they can stay open while also keeping their employees’ health in mind.

“When we reopen our 11 venues, it is our top priority to create safe environments for our customers and staff, but of course we will ensure we will be doing so in true Inception Group style,” says a blog post on the Inception Group website. Inception Group owns Mr Foggs along with numerous other establishments in London.

“At Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals in Fitzrovia, we have found a solution in bee-keeping with the bar’s blossoming natural surroundings,” it says on the blog. “Well-known as an oasis of exotic flora and fauna in Fitzrovia, our in-house botanists and guests may be asked to don beekeeping suits, or simply the protective head veil, instead of using traditional PPE.”

Mr Fogg’s co-founder, Charlie Gilkes, said in a statement that the decision was a good way to reopen without losing the bar’s character. “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,” he said. “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.”

According to Eater, restaurants in London will be able to reopen with precautions beginning July 4. Dining establishments have been closed since March 20.

It’s unclear when Mr Fogg’s will specifically open, but more information about the bar can be found on its website.