NOT A MORSEL FROM MINISTERS ON WHEN WE CAN EAT OUT AGAIN
SOME of Ireland’s top restaurateurs know how anxious we are for a meal we haven’t cooked ourselves; they’re ready to serve, but it’s not that simple – and still not a word from government on when they can cook again.
Several told the Irish Daily Mail they had seen strong demand for tables in December, with some weekends almost fully booked already.
JP McMahon, owner of Galway restaurants Tartare, Aniar and Cava Bodega, said: ‘Most weekends are looking full enough. We still don’t know if we can open but the demand is there. I’m not convinced we will be open on the 1st of December so we’ll see how it goes. I’ve just kind of written off the whole year.
The chopping and changing of lockdown rules meant it might be easier to just stay closed,’ he said. The expense of opening up for four weeks around Christmas, includes buying decorations, restocking and rehiring staff, may be too much. And he thinks they may be told to close again in January. But he said diners are keen for a meal away from home.
‘When we opened in July there was demand immediately but not necessarily over a month. But because it’s Christmas I think most of t he weekends f r om December are looking good, around 70% to 80% full. It’ll depend on whether you’re allowed to go for dinner with people other than family.’
He said restaurateurs know as much as everyone else, and his kitchens could not open until four days after the last lockdown was eased. ‘You kind of feel like you’re being scolded by being just told on Sunday night you’re open tomorrow,’ he said.
Páraic Ó hÉannraich, who owns Bloom Brasserie in Dublin, said: ‘We’re heavily booked, we don’t know if we can open or not but bookings are coming in at a high rate.
‘People have an option to add a note and the most common one is, “we can’t wait to be back”; people are itching to get out again.’
His biggest problem is the uncertainty about whether they will be open for indoor dining, outdoor or neither.
He thinks they might only find out if they can open at the last minute.
Paul McDonald, owner of the Bastion restaurant in Kinsale, Co. Cork, said its booking has been left online throughout lockdown. He said: ‘You can’t just go in and turn the lights on and say, “hey we’re here”, there’s a l ot of stuff l i ke fermentations and sourdoughs that could take a week. Whether we will open on the first of December, your guess is as good as mine but we’re hopeful.’
Bookings have been strong for December but they are not quite full yet, and he believes demand will stay strong for January and February as people have been stuck at home for so long.
Bastion had to f r eeze thousands of euro worth of truffles when Level 5 was brought in, so, ‘ opening up isn’t as bad as closing down’.
But without proper notice they will not have time to tell suppliers what they need.
He said fishermen have moved away from catching premium fish while restaurants have been closed and will need to know when to start targeting them again.
Aidan McGrath of The Wild Honey Inn in Clare was glad to have had the chance to open in summer but not being able to close out the season was a shame. He said: ‘It’s a tricky one for people because you’re waiting to pull the trigger but the notice is going to be short. As it goes a couple of weeks into December one would wonder, would it be worth their while or not doing it?’
Restaurants Association of Ireland chief Adrian Cummins told the Mail that they have been engaging with the Government since Level 5 was brought i n. He said that the restaurants have high standards and saw limited cases. He said: ‘It makes sense to reopen indoors on December 1, give the public somewhere controlled to socialise.’
‘We can’t wait to get back ‘