Hospitality | Business Post

James McDermott: No worker should be short-changed when tips are dished out

New legislation governing tipping will allow an employer to consider employees’ seniority and experience when distributing gratuities, but is this fair?

The Secret Restaurateur: Tis the season for the festive no-show

Our industry insider ponders just what can be done about a perennial problem - guests who don’t show up at all, or who do show up, but with less people than promises

Hospitality businesses are struggling to access insurance cover, publican says

Ciarán Hanley, a Galway publican, says cost of insurance policy has increased by 70 per cent and only one underwriter was willing to provide cover

SECRET RESTAURATEUR

Rise of the machines: The Secret Restaurateur on how automation is impacting the hospitality sector

Will the robots eventually rise up and kill us all? Probably. Does that mean I wouldn’t be tempted to hire one for my restaurant? Probably not.

‘The old idea that you have to work six days a week and stay open all day to make money is bollocks’

Trevor Moran’s Locust has 36 seats, opens three days a week, doesn’t post menus on its website - and has just been named the best restaurant in America. The Irish chef talks kitchen culture, life in Nashville, and his accidental career in food

Spirits and cocktails had biggest post-Covid bounce, says C&C chief

David Forde, chief executive of C&C Group, said that the cost of living crisis could now lead drinkers to choose less expensive options such as beer and cider

The Big Interview

‘Businesses need to be run for people, not just for never-ending profit’ – Gary Grant, Imbibe Coffee

Gary Grant operates his Dublin-based coffee import and roasting business according to principles of ‘conscious capitalism’ where a percentage of profits are donated to charities here and abroad

Few pre-Christmas tidings of joy for Irish retailers as cost pressures hit hard

The sector is facing spiralling costs, massive energy bills, staff shortages and lower customer spend as it enters what should be the year’s busiest period

€142m case released by Center Parcs Ireland

Money could be used to create a distributable dividend for the firm’s parent company, or to fund the planned expansion of the holiday village’s Longford site

Commercial Property

Two landmark properties in Cobh make the most of sea views

A thriving waterfront restaurant and bar and a stunning ex-Methodist church are on the market with respective prices of €5 million and €500,000

John Walsh: Dublin is no hellscape – but neither is it delivering on its potential

Forward thinking, strategic planning and an elected mayor are all needed if the capital is to survive and thrive

The Secret Restaurateur: Businesses which survived the 2010 crash are flagging now

Our industry insider is feeling more than a little worried about restaurant closures

Reaction: Businesses mixed on budget as hospitality groups criticise end of 9% Vat rate

Ibec says budget ‘broadly commended by business’ but several lobby groups take issue with decision not to extend special Vat rate for restaurants, hotels and pubs

Dylan McGrath restaurants saved after rescue plan agreed

The businesses behind Dublin restaurants Rustic Stone and Brasserie Sixty6, co-owned by the well-known chef, will have their debts written down as part of the deal

Eoghan O’Mara Walsh: What the government must do for tourism in Budget 2023

There is understandably much talk of a cost-of-living crisis but we are also in the midst of a severe cost-of-business crisis

Insomnia plans to open up to eight cafés per year in plan to target suburbs and towns

Coffee shop company to focus its five-year expansion plans in regions like Kilkenny, Cavan, Mullingar and Mallow, says chief executive Harry O’Kelly

The Secret Restaurateur: Is putting your money into restaurants a mug’s game?

The funding scheme used by Gaz Smith at Big Mike’s in Dublin prompts our industry insider to ponder the business of opening a restaurant

Power down: Can Ireland’s businesses keep the lights on this winter?

The looming spectre of energy price hikes has raised fears that thousands of businesses could be forced to close their doors in the coming months – and the clamour for a guarantee of government support is getting louder

Matt Cooper: Arcade Fire frontman faces serious allegations but can art be separated from the artist?

Some fans of the band seem to think that Win Butler has provided an adequate response to the accusations, but others are not convinced

Streat School fills the void as founder shares food truck know-how

The Irish food truck provider and marketing agency, founded by Blasta Street Kitchen owner Seany McCleary, has helped 120 new street food outlets to get up and running in the past two years