‘Having 10 or 20 in on a Saturday night won’t pay the wages’
NORMALLY the Abbey Street part of Tralee benefits hugely from the social atmosphere created by Cassidy’s Restaurant. Circumstances have changed for now, but proprietor Geraldine Cassidy is looking ahead to better days when the restaurant will reopen and again become the cornerstone of conviviality in one of the town’s oldest quarters.
“Business had already been slowing down since January once people started to see what was coming,” Geraldine says.
“By February, the customers weren’t coming out, and we were only covering costs rather than making money. We were barely balancing things, and it’s been tough, but once we can get back up and opened again we’ll take it from there.”
Cassidy’s employs around 15 staff in peak times, while Geraldine states that a three-month ‘rate freeze’ is not enough in the context of a whole year’s takings being lost. Geraldine believes applying and policing social-distancing protocols once restaurants are allowed to reopen is going to be impossible to implement.
“No matter what you do it’s never going to be 100 per cent safe,” she says.
“Those with big restaurants will have no problem. But with a small premises, having 10 or 20 people in on a Saturday night is not going to pay wages. This is the problem. Saturday night is what I call ‘ the bill night’, it’s when we make our money.
We’re heading into the summer now and soon the kids will be back in school and autumn is here, this will affect business as well,” she says.
But there is an upside to every situation, and for Geraldine the lock-down has created some precious time with family. As a mother to seven children, spending more time at home has its benefits.
“Spending time with the kids has been great, and I’ve had a lovely time at home in the last few weeks. It’s been really nice, even if the bills are mounting up! I’m doing all the jobs at home that I couldn’t get done before now. I’m also looking forward to going back as I do need to make money, it’s the just the way things are for now.”