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PUBLICANS SAY that SUMMER reopening plans should not allow restaurants and gastropubs to open earlier than traditional “wet” pubs.
The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA), which represents Dublin publicans, will tell a Committee of Oireachtas today that “this artificial distinction between food businesses and wet pubs” must end.
They also ask for assurances that the € 9 meal rule will not be a feature once a broader reopening of society begins and seek guidance on what percentage of the community should be vaccinated before the various stages of reopening can be considered.
Last summer, some pubs serving food were allowed to reopen alongside restaurants with the rule that a customer had to have a “substantial meal” to accompany their pint. The so-called ‘wet’ pubs were only able to open for a few weeks in autumn, whereas in Dublin the pubs in this sector never reopened.
The LVI maintains that the € 9 meal requirement is an “old-fashioned regulation” and wants clarification that it will not be reintroduced.
Asked recently if such regulation would feature this summer, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the government would be “looking at this again” this year.
The Vintners Federation of Ireland, a group representing 4,000 family-friendly bars, said a clear statement from the government that all hospitality establishments will be allowed.
open at the same time, under the same conditions and subject to the same penalties, it must be done.
“No more divisions between food and non-food,” they say.
“The sector now needs a clear roadmap that describes the conditions that must exist for reopening: vaccination level, community transmission, hospitalization, etc. Hope is needed. There are none. Such a roadmap would provide hope and help reduce stress levels, ”said the VFI.
According to the government’s updated roadmap for reopening, only take-out food and drink is currently allowed in all restaurants and pubs. Indoor dining is not allowed on level 4, but outdoor dining is limited to a maximum of 15 people.
From level 3 downwards, dining inside is allowed with a sliding scale of restrictions.
The LVA will report today to the Media, Tourism, Art, Culture, Sport and Gaeltacht Committee that it understands that specific re-opening dates cannot be provided at this time.
However, it asks the government to publicly communicate the circumstances that must be applied to allow the full reopening of the hospitality sector.
Specifically, publicans are looking for details on what percentage of the adult population will need to be vaccinated to allow all pubs and hospitality businesses to reopen, as well as what level community transmission should be at.
The LVA asks in its statement: “Will it be the case that pubs / hotels can only reopen for vaccinated customers?”
In Israel, where more than half the population has received their first dose of the vaccine, members of the public can now apply for a ‘green pass’ showing they have been vaccinated and can therefore re-enter gyms. , restaurants and other cultural activities. places.
This pass is only required for indoor spaces, while outdoor spaces will reopen for everyone.
Meanwhile, in the US, older people, who make up the vast majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated, are returning to bars and restaurants in recent days.
The publicans also argue that significant financial support will be needed even after the sector reopens, while claiming that before they open, pubs will need a “significantly improved” restart grant.
Restaurateurs are also looking for hints of what summer might be like.
The Irish Restaurant Association will tell the committee today that hospitality businesses are on the brink of collapse, with 50% of restaurants facing permanent closure.
Adrian Cummins, general director of the association, maintains that the current commercial supports “do not go far enough”.
A restart grant is needed for three weeks for reopening costs, you are ready to inform members, as well as the extension of the commercial fee waiver. The current VAT rate of 9% should remain in effect until 2025, Cummins will say.
“As we start down the road to recovery, the challenges we have are little to no payment from insurance companies on business interruption claims, homeowners seeking full closing-time rents, utility providers who they disconnect the services of restaurants and hotels
companies, and the lack of a united approach on the part of state agencies with responsibilities in tourism and hospitality, ”the committee will be informed.
“We need a plan to reopen. We need a plan to re-employ staff and, above all, our industry needs HOPE,” Cummins says in his statement.
The comments come as city councils say they are working to provide more outdoor space for hotel businesses such as pubs and restaurants.
Earlier this month, The newspaper reported that Tánaiste and Business Minister Leo Varadkar were encouraging local authorities to “do what they can” for local restaurants and cafes by supporting outdoor seating when possible in towns and cities this summer.
While lockdown measures are expected to become even more flexible as the vaccination program intensifies beginning in the second quarter of the year, the chair of the epidemiological modeling advisory group of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), Philip Nolan has said that it is clear “we” are facing a summer in the open air “in 2021.
Alfresco dining is expected to return before pubs, cafes and restaurants can fully open.
Outdoor space
RAI’s comments come as city councils work behind the scenes to open up public spaces that can be used by pubs and restaurants when it is safe for them to reopen.
Dublin City Council has said that it is fully committed to helping hotel businesses access the public domain to help them stay sustainable and provide safe spaces for their customers.
Before the pandemic, the City of Dublin said it had approximately 190 street furniture licenses, but since the start of Covid-19, Dublin City Council has provided 76 additional temporary street furniture permits.
Fees for both street furniture licenses and temporary permits have been waived, and this will continue for the near future.
In a statement, the council delivered a coordinated plan for the Smithfield area to facilitate cookouts in the summer of 2020.
“We delivered covers, tables and chairs last summer and are now looking to expand the project by providing light and heat as well as expanding to other parts of the plaza and we are currently in the process of investigating how we can expand similar projects for Capel. St, South Anne St, Duke St and Newmarket Square.
“The sections of South William Street, Drury Street, Dame Court and South Anne Street are to be pedestrianized after 11 a.m. every day as soon as possible, but this is on hold pending the lifting of public health restrictions. relevant, “he said.
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Trial pedestrianization in and around these streets was very successful last year, the city council said, stating that it will again support social distancing, cookouts and should also serve as an attraction to bring people back to downtown. from the city.
The council is also examining the feasibility of various proposals on a series of streets that would support hospitality businesses to operate outdoors by reallocating the use of existing road space and this is something the council hopes to implement in the coming months in consultation. with relevant stakeholders.
The council is also investigating ways to provide additional public restrooms across the city.
Local authorities
With restaurants and cafes being warned that their customers are likely to sit outside in hail, rain or shine this summer, there are concerns about the different approaches that some county and city councils might take.
Other city councils, such as Cork City Council, have stated that they want to be proactive in supporting businesses and retailers, insisting that a key goal for this summer is to maximize the use of outdoor space.
“The council is collaborating with the hospitality industry in promoting the use of street furniture outdoors,” said the Cork County Council.
The city council has also streamlined its processes for managing street furniture license applications and eliminated administration fees.
The Cork City Council said it had submitted proposals to permanently pedestrianize 17 streets and is preparing for a possible increase in demand for street furniture licenses.
The Galway County Council said it has successfully secured three tranches of funding to adapt the county’s towns and villages to the changed environment since the onset of the pandemic.
The council noted that in many rural cities there are extremely limited locations where road closures can be considered as there are no suitable alternative detours available, but said it is happy to consider any proposals and requests for the plan.
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