BARRACUDA REFURBISHMENT AFOOT AS PUB CHAIN RUMOURS ARE DENIED
BARRACUDA in Bray will be closed for a short time for works as owners Paul and Liz Finnegan prepare to invest €200,000 in a kitchen refit and refurbishment of backroom facilities of the seafront restaurant.
This follows its recent investment of €300,000 to open a new Finnbees Kitchen cafe in the aquarium building.
Meanwhile, they continue to insist that there is no truth to rumours that they have been in talks with a UK pub chain regarding their bar area.
The couple operate Finnbees Kitchen, Finnbees Coffee House and the Barracuda Restaurant in the building and have invested over €1 million in the buisness since 2011.
Barracuda will close at the end of August and is expected to reopen in time for the busy Christmas season.
Restaurant vouchers will be honoured in Finnebees Kitchen during the renovation process.
In 2014, Barracuda applied for a full seven-day license to replace the existing special restaurant license.
However, due to objections from local businesses and others in the Bray area, the activation of this new licence has been stalled pending court procedings.
‘ To be successful in the hospitality business, you have to continually invest, introduce new ideas and enhance services to attract new and retain existing customers and that is why we are undertaking a kitchen refit and refurbishment of our backroom facilities in the Barracuda Restaurant,’ said Paul.
‘Contrary to rumours, there is no truth at all in claims that we have been in discussions with a notable UK large pub chain.
‘ The reason we applied to change from our Special Restaurant Licence to a seven-day licence two years ago was purely to facilitate guests who wish to have a drink in our premises without having to order a main meal.’