“We did our final service on a Saturday as all hell was breaking loose. By Tuesday, the restaurant was a high-end food store”
Since it opened seven years ago, Dublin’s Forest Avenue has developed a reputation as one of the country’s finest restaurants. But its success – and the demands of the industry – has also had an impact on the couple behind the eatery – John and Sandy Wyer. Fearing burnout and operating in an “unworkable industry”, the couple were looking at ways to reinvent themselves and their business – and Covid-19 has given them a chance to do just that. Within days of the lockdown, they had transformed their property into a high-end food store, a move that allowed them to retain staff, maintain relations with suppliers and keep paying the bills. In this podcast with Sam Smyth, they talk about their journey to date, why Forest Avenue is “full of contradictions and juxtaposition” and how they prefer happy customers to awards.
