It became a nightmare to run our dream restaurant
A WOMAN who has been forced to shut the doors of the dream business she bought less than five years ago has described the situation as ‘a disaster’.
Joanne Riordan grew up beside The Thatch restaurant in Lisselton, Co. Kerry, so when it came to the market five years ago, she felt compelled to buy it with her husband.
Ms Riordan, 43, and her husband, 45-yearold John O’Connor, have always shared a passion for the hospitality sector, both working in it from a young age.
But after less than five years, inflationary charges and staff shortages have cut their life-long dream to own The Thatch short as it becomes another business at the heart of a community forced into closure.
‘It’s a disaster to be honest,’ Ms Riordan said. ‘I’m from the parish, I grew up next door to the premises really.’ The couple were set to celebrate owning The Thatch for five years in June but they have decided they cannot go on any longer as they prepare to close their doors on May 31.
‘It’s the rising costs, the energy bills, the insurance, the cost of food is just going through the roof – the drinks, the bar, inflation,’ explained Ms Riordan.
‘Every week there’s an email and there’s something else increasing. Even yesterday, we got an email from another supplier saying that all food prices were going up across the board again.’
The owners have had to deal with energy prices rising by 25% and gas prices by 39%. After putting their food prices up by 12.5% to try and cope, they’ve reached a point where even doing that again won’t help. ‘We were going to do another 12.5% again in June but...it’s just continuing to rise every week,’ she said.
For Ms Riordan and her husband, the shortage of staff in the hospitality sector has taken its toll as they operate with a small team of 15.
‘We just can’t get a chef. We have one chef but in a summer season, you would need three in a kitchen and I can’t even get one,’ she said. ‘We’re just devastated we have to close. At this point, it’s out of our control.’
Fáilte Ireland yesterday announced a €700,000 investment to help with staff shortages across the country. But Ms Riordan believes it is too little, too late. She said: ‘The Government really needs to tackle it because it’s a serious issue for the whole industry, not just our business.’