News

Indoor Dining Back next Monday

The Cabinet meets this morning when it is likely to discuss the reopening of indoor dining, although the decision to go ahead from next Monday has already been taken. restaurant

Much progress was made yesterday on the guidelines around reopening of indoor dining. There will be no time limits and checks of vaccination certificates will be made at the point of seating.

A Covid scanner is being developed by Government to allow businesses to check certs.

Some details remain to be agreed and the guidelines will not be published until the legislation underpinning them is signed into law.

Therevwill be stricter rules for social distancing when unvaccinated children are present

Under the plans, a previous time limit of 105 minutes for tables within one metre of each other will be scrapped – but an 11.30pm closing time will remain, to be reviewed at a later date.

Digital and paper certs will be accepted, while an app will be rolled out for businesses to check customers’ vaccination status on entry.

Costa operator wins Court order

The operators of Costa Coffee cafés in Ireland have been granted a High Court order preventing the landlord of its Dundrum Town Centre outlet applying to wind up the firm. costa0721

MBCC Foods (Ireland) Ltd sought the injunction restraining Campbell Catering Ltd, trading as Aramark Food Services Ireland, from presenting a petition to wind up MBCC pending determination of a dispute over rents during Covid.

The court heard MBCC, which employs 2,000 in its 155 outlets in the Republic and Northern Ireland, and also operates 12 KFC restaurants, has had a lease since 2018 with Aramark in Dundrum Town Centre at an annual rent of €200,000. Its café is in the food hall on level three of the centre.

There had been significant disruption of its business over the last 15-16 months due to Government restrictions and guidelines, it says.

MBCC director Michael Conway said in an affidavit that since March 2020 Aramark had blocked access to the food hall, save for a brief period before Christmas.

That blocking off was "wholly in excess of any reasonable system of control which might have been required" under Government guidelines, he said.

Press Up leases Brittas pub

Paddy McKillen Jnr and his business partner Matt Ryan’s ,Press Up Hospitality Group has entered into a new long-term lease for the landmark McDaniels pub at Brittas Bay in mcdamiels0721

Co Wicklow.hile the doors of the pub itself have yet to open for business due to Covid-19 restrictions, the pair are taking full advantage of the venue

While the pub remains closed due to Covid restrictoions, Press Up is using the extensive car park by populating it with food trucks from Press Up Eats’ range of brands. Wowburger, Rice Chinese, Coo Coo Indian, Double 8 Dumplings and Long Horn Creamery, and DIME Coffee, have all set up shop at McDaniels with a view to capturing the market for food and drink among beachgoers all year round.

'Rogue Operators' face closure

The chief executive of the Restaurants Association, Adrian Cummins has warned that any “rogue operators” who “step out of line” with regard to the new indoor dining guidelines w cummins0120 ill be closed down immediately.

Swift action will be necessary so the industry can be maintained in an open manner into the future, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

“Businesses want to make sure they do the right thing across the board.”

The sector is asking the Government for the protection of the State with inspections across the country, so that if any business steps out of line that they are closed down immediately, he added.

“That's very important for our industry that all rogue operators are dealt with swiftly so that we can maintain our industry in an open manner into the future.”

Swim Notice for Skerries Beach

People are being advised not to swim in the sea at South Strand Skerries due to E. coli in the water.

A temporary advisory notice was issued by Fingal County Council after preliminary test results showed the presence of the bacteria at higher than acceptable limits.

The sample of water was tested yesterday.

The council said the likely cause for the higher than normal levels of E. coli was the "impact of animal and birds as well as contamination of urban surface waters".

In a statement it said the higher levels were normally short-lived and that bathers were unlikely to experience an illness.