Retail

Hugo’s restaurant owner: customers’ expense accounts are being capped, all is not well

Since the Dublin riots, footfall has increased in the capital but there is a chill in the air for many retailers and restaurants

Gina Murphy, owner, Hugo’s, Merrion Row, Dublin. ‘Traditionally the Thursday and Friday in the week before Christmas are our busiest days of the year for lunches and dinners, but we're not full tonight on our second sitting.’ Picture: Fergal Phillips

Last Thursday, during a conversation with a customer, Gina Murphy had a flashback to 2008.

The patron of Hugo’s, on Merrion Row in Dublin 2, told Murphy that their company has restricted staff’s expense accounts.

“The last time I heard about expense accounts being limited was just after the financial crash,” Murphy said.

Many businesses in Dublin are predicting a downturn in trade, which, while not comparable to the crash years, will be damaging.

Compared ...