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Pubs claim 'Full Blown Crisis'

Reacting to the decision to keep non-food-serving establishments shuttered for at least another three weeks, publicans say they are now facing a “full-blown crisis”.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said publicans were now in “fury and despair”, and called for “immediate” aid.

“This is Groundhog Day for the trade as twice now the reopening of pubs has been postponed,” said VFI chief executive Pádraig Cribben, “The Government has effectively denied pubs the ability to trade. As a result it will have to provide substantial supports to our members, many of whom are deeply agitated at what they feel is the State abandoning a vital part of the hospitality sector.”

Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the LVA, said pubs have been abandoned:

“We’re repeatedly being told that opening the pubs ‘could lead to an increase in the virus’. Well, when will that not be the case?”

Cruise slump until 2023

Cruise liner visits to Ireland are unlikely to recover fully until 2023, which will lead to a major drop in tourism revenue for ports such as Dublin and Cobh. corkcruise1119

Cobh was due to host 105 liner visits this year and a further 110 liners were booked to tie up there in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit cruise line companies hard and a Government ban on all liner visits to ports remains in place, although some companies are running cruises off the Irish coast.

The chairman of an umbrella body which represents 140 European ports dealing with cruise liners has said if the ban was lifted he could see some smaller liners visiting the country before the end of the year.

Captain Michael McCarthy, chairman of Cruise Europe, said the Irish economy would lose an estimated €60m per year from cruise liner tourism if the ban is not lifted.

Armagh Attractions Return

Several more of Armagh’s top visitor attractions will reopen their doors in August, including Armagh County Museum, Brownlow House and the Market Place Theatre. armagh0820

FE McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge and Armagh’s Navan Fort & Centre reopened this week.

With new safety measures introduced which adhere to government and public and health guidance, Armagh Country Museum opens on Wednesday 12 August from 10am until 4pm and admission is free.

The oldest county museum on the island of Ireland and set in Armagh City’s beautiful tree-lined Mall, its collections capture centuries of stories relating to the people who lived, worked and had connections with this famous city and historic county. With collections ranging from local history and fine art to archaeology and natural history, this is the ideal place to experience a flavour of the famous ‘orchard county’.

Optimizing Covers in Phase Three

John Girvan, Manager at catering supplier Alliance Online Ireland (www.allianceonline.ie), shares some ideas that will help you maximise the number of covers in your restaurant while keeping everyone safe.

To find the latest information for business owners regarding COVID-19, please visit the government advice centre.

Now that are continuiing with Phase Three of Ireland's Roadmap for Re-opening, the hospitality industry is starting to open up again. So, restaurant owners are no doubt going to be keen to try and maximise the number of customers you can serve to try and make up for all that lost time and revenue. In this article, I'll share five ways you can increase the number of covers you can accommodate, while also following social distancing guidelines and keeping your staff and diners safe.

Extending your opening hours

Many restaurants are now serving half or even a quarter of their usual capacity at any given time, and this can really take a toll on their bottom line. One solution to this problem is extending your opening hours to allow you to serve more customers while maintaining proper social distancing. Of course, if you do decide to go down this route, remember to think about how the terms of any licences might be affected — you may not be able to serve alcohol at certain times, for instance.

Hotel bars and pubs D-Day

To-day (Tuesday 4th August) is D-Day for hotel bars and pubs. hotelbar0820

The Cabinet is to decide later today on whether to proceed with Phase 4 of the country's reopening next Monday.

This would include the reopening of pubs and hotel bars as well as allowing gatherings up to 500 people outdoors.

It has been described as a 'make or break day' for the industry by the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, which represents 3,500 pubs outside of Dublin.

It said the already delayed reopening is putting a huge strain on publicans, their families and communities, who, the VFI said, have been forced to stand aside while big gatherings happen in uncontrolled environments like house parties.

Meanwhile, 106 towns and villages are to benefit immediately from €2.8m in funding to help communities adapt to a world changed by Covid-19.

Street furniture; widening of walkways and footpaths; adapting community spaces for socially-distanced use; outdoor cinema screens and marquees to facilitate ‘all-weather’ community events are some of the items to be funded.