"I've been working in hospitality since I was 15 and this is probably the quietest January I've ever had," said Chelmsford bar manager Willow Gwen Williams, 23 (Willow Gwyn-Williams) said.

She blames the cost-of-living crisis for a drop in bookings at the William Boosey restaurant where she works in Hatfield Peverel.

“People just don’t have the money to go out and do anything,” she said.

Videos of empty bars and restaurants are trending on TikTok, with staff posting videos under the hashtag "January Hotel."

Some posts have received tens of thousands of likes, showing employees finding creative ways to stay busy, including perfecting latte art or making pint glasses sparkling clean.

Willow said the quiet period means fewer shifts, especially for part-time employees, "because we simply don't have enough data to justify having extra people come to work."

“The mood in January was kind of miserable,” she said.

While a lull in trade in January is normal, there are concerns that restaurants and pubs may continue to be quieter than usual throughout the year.

The industry has warned that increases in employer national insurance contributions and the minimum wage announced in the budget will start in April, meaning things remain tough after January.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the UK hospitality trade body, said the government needed to "urgently reconsider" the changes or the public would face price rises of around 6-8%.

She said 80% of businesses in the industry expected to reduce headcount and some may be forced to close.

Louise Maclean is chief executive of Signature Group, which owns more than 20 bars, restaurants and nightclubs across Scotland and employs around 700 people.

"Everywhere has to take back control of it," she told the BBC's Today programme. "We are very concerned about what happened on April 1.

"We have to pass on the price increases to consumers and make sure sales don't go down... It's a big, big gamble. But that's what we're looking at.

"The whole 2025 scenario is concerning, and the phrase we use is 'survive '25.'"

Sonia Johnson, who owns Mamars bakery in Warrington, said the increase in the minimum wage would make her biggest cost - staffing - "pretty high".

On top of that, she said her suppliers have said they will raise prices in the coming months.

She said luxury goods, such as her artisanal cheeses, don't sell well over Christmas as people tighten their wallets, and she will have to raise prices to cover costs.

Mohammed Sarnwal opened The Farmhouse restaurant in Coventry in 2008, specializing in locally sourced farm-to-table ingredients.

He said upcoming cost increases "will undoubtedly put pressure on margins" and that his menu prices will likely increase "so that we can survive."

"Let's be honest: We're nervous," he said. "It's very concerning. I've been working in the hotel industry for 18 years and I've never seen anything like this."

He said the government was "not doing themselves any favors - if they wanted to destroy the hospitality industry they would be doing the right thing".

The government will cut alcohol duty on draft beer by 1p from February to "support" hospitality, and will offer 40 per cent business tax relief to some restaurants, pubs and bars from April, a government spokesman said.

It added that from April small businesses' NIC (National Insurance contributions) will be reduced or unchanged and "employment allowance more than doubled", which reduces the amount small businesses pay for NICs for their employees.

Alongside the empty tables, chalk signs and promotional emails offering deep discounts, it's another sign of how desperate venues are to get people in the door.

Maria Vanifatova of food service industry insights company Meaningful Vision said the number of discounts increased by 25% in 2024, and the discounts were deeper.

She said some food delivery services are even offering discounts of up to 35% this year.

Despite this, consumers plan to spend less on hotels in the first three months of 2025 than last year, according to a Deloitte survey of 3,000 people released exclusively to the BBC.

Celine Fenech, head of consumer insights at Deloitte, added that any recovery in 2025 will depend on falling costs for essentials such as food and energy.

However, she added: "In addition to this, we should start to see more consumers spending money on non-essential items such as socializing, going to pubs and restaurants," she said, adding that a higher minimum wage should give people Come with more spending power.