Hospitality

‘Will we just have Michelin restaurants and bland coffee shops?’: Struggles of Irish hospitality

Skills shortages, rising costs of energy and ingredients, an impending Vat hike and dampened consumer confidence are a huge concern, with restaurants the most severely affected

Claire Nash, owner of Nash 19, described her energy costs as ‘crippling. Picture: John Allen

Over the years, Claire Nash has expanded Nash 19, her popular restaurant in Cork city, to include a food and gift shop, wine bar and gallery. “Some lovely things happened,” Nash said about doing business in 2022.

But the prospects for next year are grim, with the hospitality sector still struggling to shake off the hangover of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sharply rising cost of energy and ingredients is also being compounded by the difficulties ...