“Do we have a viable business? It will probably be September before we know. That is a scary place to be. But the alternative is not opening, and that is not what we want.”
As the co-owner of Fire Steakhouse & Grill in Dublin’s Mansion House and Sole Seafood & Grill on South William Street, Padraic O’Kane runs two of the city’s largest restaurants. Shuttered for three months, both will reopen on Monday, but, due to social distancing, capacity at both will be reduced by 40 per cent. In this podcast, O’Kane talks about the economics of the restaurant business in the world of Covid-19 and outlines a range of measures to help the embattled hospitality sector – from Vat reform to new rental agreements. Plus, as the man who brings American football to Dublin each year, he talks about the impact of the pandemic on Irish tourism.
