Two Banbury town centre businesses set to shut doors 'hopeful for temporary' closure

Both town centre business say the closures are temporary and they hope to re-open again in the future.

The Pinto Lounge will be the first of the two businesses to close its doors.

The Pinto Lounge, which sits on the corner of the High Street, announced its closure this afternoon (Friday March 20) on its Facebook page.

The message to its customers reads: "It saddens us to say that as of today (20/03/20) at 3:00pm, we will be closing our doors temporarily.

"Due to obvious reasons we are unable to stay open at this difficult time. Pinto Lounge is all about community, and the safety of you and our staff is always our utmost priority.

"We would like to thank everyone who has popped in to see us over these crazy past couple weeks, and we can’t wait to see all your lovely faces again in hopefully the not too far future.

"Keep an eye out on our socials for any updates over the next few weeks.

"We look forward to opening our doors again soon, but for now we encourage everyone to stay safe during these strange times."

One of Banbury's oldest public houses, Ye Olde Reine Deer Deer Inn in Parsons Street, has also said it will close its doors at the end of 'service' on this Sunday March 22.

The pub is offering a free meal to all NHS staff with a valid ID on its last day as a way of showing thanks.

Management made the announcement on its Facebook page. The message reads: "It is with very deep regret and with a tear in our eye that we have made the decision to close our doors - just for the time being - at the end of service this Sunday.

"All NHS staff who would like to come in before we close, bring your valid ID card and you can eat for free, with our thanks, respect and good wishes.

"We, like many businesses, find ourselves caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of how to continue to trade through these uncharted waters of the coronavirus pandemic.

"With the Prime Minister and medical advisers asking us all to stay away from pubs, the office and travelling, we’re sure you can imagine the effect this has had on business.

"As many business owners will understand, how can you adjust your planning to operate in a situation we now face, with no clear end in sight?

"The simple choice we face is this; carry on and we lose our business and our staff lose their jobs for good, or make a tough call to put everything on hold until we’re through the pandemic, and we might still have a business and jobs for our fantastic staff.

"We wish you and your loved ones all stay safe and we look forward to seeing you for a nice pint of Hooky sometime hopefully in the near future."