Posted on 01/23/2024 7:16:56 PM PST by Olog-hai
The Government responded quickly this week to news of a wave of restaurant closures in the post-Christmas vacuum that haunts all businesses in the hospitality sector once New Year’s has come and gone.
This year’s dry January appears to be particularly arid.
It is not an unusual time for food and drink-led businesses to close their doors, but the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) claims that the number of its members which have shut down since Christmas has pushed the total number of closures over the last six months to more than 280. These closures are across the country, with a variety of reasons being offered.
The closures appear to have gained particular traction in County Cork, where there have been around a half a dozen since Christmas.
Tung Sing Chinese restaurant had been a staple on Patrick Street in Cork city for more than 60 years. It was one of the first after Christmas to announce it was closing, citing increased running costs.
On the same day, Pigalle Kitchen on Barrack Street announced it was closing too.
A week ago today, the White Rabbit restaurant on MacCurtain Street announced that it was also closing. […]
He (Richard Jacob of Idaho Café) said staff costs in restaurants will have jumped by roughly a third over the past year, due to increases in the minimum wage and employer’s PRSI, as well as changes to sick pay and pension entitlements for staff.
He said: “Using average staff cost percentages, this means that the average restaurant will need to increase prices by 15% just to cover this pay increase. A €3.50 coffee becomes €4. An €18 pasta dish is suddenly €20.70. The restaurant is not making any extra profit but is seeing turnover drop as the prices rise.” …
(Excerpt) Read more at rte.ie ...
Fewer can afford toceat out even at current prices.
I wouldn’t drop 18 euros on a pasta dish.
“An €18 pasta dish”
is absurdly overpriced.
In my day, food costs were expected to be 40% of menu pricing.
Crazy.
My wife and I went out to eat on Sunday.
We got an appetizer of fried artichokes.
I got pot roast. She got salmon.
I got a coke. She got water.
We both got dessert, me bread pudding, she got carrot cake.
With tip, the bill was $108.
And this was NOT a fancy restaurant. It was an old train station. The waitstaff wore bib overalls and train hats. The young gals looked good in them. But it was not anything fancy.
Crazy.
We used to eat out a lot, and we loved it. Now? We just don’t go out much anymore.
I agree about those ridiculous prices. But I don’t think it is just cost of food. Restaurants and grocery stores are having hard time finding workers. And some places have high minimum wages to deal with, such as California.
Absolutely. That is how I see it.
How did those lockdowns work out for them?
The socialists are winning incrementally.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.