Pub chain apologises for poppy ‘ban’

A UK pub chain has said it is “extremely sorry” for any offence caused after it banned staff from wearing poppies at work, citing health and safety concerns.

Staff at Brewers Fayre claim they were prevented from wearing a poppy at work

Employees at Brewers Fayre, owned by Whitbread, had claimed that “nobody” was allowed to pin a poppy to their shirt at work as it amounted to a health and safety hazard.

One waitress, named only as Sam, told The Sun she was “disgusted” by the restriction and that being asked not to wear a poppy was one of the “worst things you could say”, especially to someone who had experienced the loss of a loved one in conflict.

The chain has since insisted that it was only members of staff in the kitchen and who passed through food preparation areas that were not allowed to wear poppies in case the pin fell in food.

A Whitbread spokesman said: “It is certainly not our intention to prevent our team members from wearing poppies whilst at work. We are extremely sorry if we have led any team members to believe that is the case and if we have caused them any distress. The only thing we stipulate is that in order to abide by food safety legislation, we ask team members who work in or have to pass through a food preparation area to wear poppies with a secure clasp rather than those secured by a single pin.

“We encourage all our restaurants to observe the annual two minute silence and to support the British Legion’s campaign by displaying poppies for sale in their bar area.”