Why no late cafes in Dublin or Ireland in general?

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427164#Comment_121427164

Booming and busting in quick succession. People getting it into their heads that selling coffee and cakes is a sure fire money spinner only to find out in months or single digit years it isn't.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427260#Comment_121427260

Which ones are "busting" ?

Certainly no sign of any busting in Limerick and I wouldn't know every cafe in Dublin or Cork but the ones I know are all still there.

Every time a coffee shop opens someone comes out with this "too many already" stuff but no evidence to support it.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427306#Comment_121427306

They open and close quite rapidly in Bray, which has to have reached saturation point at this moment in time.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427306#Comment_121427306

Inflation and costs are hammering small businesses, maybe you'd want to open your eyes a bit more. Not a week goes by that small shops and cafes don't go to the wall.

Remember the coffee out of a horsebox fad? Not so many of those around anymore. People are counting pennies now and the superfluous smashed-this and artisan-that places will be the first to go.

SharkMX

In Europe you can get wne in a cafe. Most of the ones you wuld hang around in in the evening are nice and comfy too.

Cafes in Ireland for the most part have uncomfortable rickety old chairs. No reason for people to want to hang out in one. So they close in the evening because they dont have the footfall to stay open.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427753#Comment_121427753

There were a few horsebox coffee places in Limerick. Then they made enough money to move into full shops.

My eyes are well open. 3 Limerick city centre coffee shops closed since Covid (2 chain 1 independent) and all were immediately filled again. In that time at least 6 more have opened. A number of independent coffee shops in the city have since opened 2nd or 3rd branches. Don't see many closed up ones around the other cities either.

No evidence to suggest city centre coffee shops are struggling in Ireland. I can't speak for towns and villages other than the few I visit but they all have way more coffee shops than before an dbo boarded up shops that used to be coffee shops.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427842#Comment_121427842

Also we have plenty of comfy pubs that sell wine so the market isn't there.

Ide love to see some photos of what people are calling these "late night European cafes"

rdhma

It's long gone now, but this is what late night cafe calls to mind: A Loving Tribute to Javas Cafe

Redeveloped and there's a Starbucks sitting there now.

bucketybuck

People don't want food, they don't want to drink, they just want a nice quiet, warm place where they can hang out and have a chat.

In business terms, what they are saying is that they want a nice quiet, warm place to hang out but they don't want to spend any money for it.

Thread title is the easiest answered question in history. There are very few late night cafes because they don't make any money.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428334#Comment_121428334

One of the main reasons Java's mentioned above was so popular is that people knew they could sit in there all night for the price of a cup of coffee.

The other big difference between then and now is plenty of pubs offer what Java's offered.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428374#Comment_121428374

True.

All pubs and bars sell tea and coffee.

Also, what overheads does a bar have that a cafe does not? assuming no late license in the bar.

The evening takings in a city centre bar are far higher than a late night cafe, so I am not sure how a late cafe would be viable with our crazy rents.

Think of the total number of customers in a bar and the average spend per head vs a late night cafe.

A bar in Dublin will have way more people who spend way more money per head vs a cafe customer base.

I would love to see more cafes thrive at night, but I dont see how they can make it work, when a lot of bars cant even do it.

rdhma

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428374#Comment_121428374

Well I had to have a look and there is this place I didn't know of, which sets out to be a European style late cafe, according to the owner.

MELODY - Food, Vino & Vinyl

I'll give it a try some time. Not expecting to sit in there all night over one cup of coffee though.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121428964#Comment_121428964

It's a nice spot. Tapas bar is the best way to describe it and the venue is excellent looking.

Rift also open later in the summer and Treaty City have really good coffee now and have full pub opening hours.

cj maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121419693#Comment_121419693

There was a late night/ early morning coffee place in Preston in the ‘90’s . People that were there weren’t going to be sleeping anyway , being all wide eyed chewing the face of themselves if you get me .

Starbucks Toilet Code 2846

As someone who works from home, and occasionally needs to meet colleagues after work, I have had this problem for months now.

NutButter Grand Canal Dock opens until 21.30, but other than that, I know of no other options except maybe a hotel bar -- and even then, you feel a bit of an imposter.

The reasons aren't economic or anything like that -- your average Dealz closes later than a café, and the café should have better margins. People don't seem to want a late coffee in this economy.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121429952#Comment_121429952

Music Cafe is an amazing spot for coffee. Opens till 8/9.

Mind the Step is own till 11 most nights.

That's just 2 l know from the odd trip to Dublin.