City centre restaurants

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 25-07-2020 9:36am #1

There’s an article in the Irish Times today where restaurant owners are asking that Government put measures in place to bring everyone back into their offices in Dublin City centre, in order that they’ll start coming into their restaurants again.

At the moment local economies are hugely benefiting from people being around during the day, not to mention people’s work/life balance and community and family life. In addition there are enormous long term benefits to the environment and pressure on housing if workers aren’t being dragged into the same few square miles every day to do their job.

I have huge sympathy for anyone whose business is under threat but some of these restaurateurs seem to expect Government to put them and their needs ahead of everything else. Yes of course they need some forms of support at the moment, but sacrificing other people’s health and well being, local economies and the environment to do this seems very unrealistic. Surely trying to drag us back to the unsustainable lifestyles and economic models that existed pre pandemic is a bit blinkered?

Thierry12 · 25-07-2020 9:49am

Casey Dead Amphibian wrote: »

Surely trying to drag us back to the unsustainable lifestyles and economic models that existed pre pandemic is a bit blinkered?

Think they are doing them a favour

Full time WFH with one of the most expensive workforces ain't going to work long term

Employees will find that they will be increasingly laid off or have their wages reduced as employers begin using legal ways never used before, they will have cake and eat it in Ireland, that's for sure.

They are in the industry of making money and outsourcing remote workers to other countries won't be an issue

I'm WFH and happy to go back to keep my job

ginoginelli · 25-07-2020 10:28am

It's a tough situation and I feel for the restaurants/businesses, but they are essentially choosing their well being, economic stability, over peoples lives.

Offices are not safe environments during the pandemic. They are classified as high risk due to being indoors for a lengthy period.

You can't really blame people for putting their health first and WfH.

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 25-07-2020 11:41am

I also think they might have to accept that life might not go back to the way it was before. People were frazzled, worn out, barely seeing their kids, had no time for family meals, or to get to know their neighbours, or for outside interests and activities and communities were dying a death.

A lot of people have seen a better and healthier way of living and want to continue that way. Asking them to get back on the exhausting hamster wheel to keep restaurants and sandwich bars going would be short sighted and unfair.

BillyBiggs · 25-07-2020 11:46am

The same people have been coining it/ fleecing people for years and are missing their bounty now.

ginoginelli · 25-07-2020 11:51am

Casey Dead Amphibian wrote: »

I also think they might have to accept that life might not go back to the way it was before. People were frazzled, worn out, barely seeing their kids, had no time for family meals, or to get to know their neighbours, or for outside interests and activities and communities were dying a death.

A lot of people have seen a better and healthier way of living and want to continue that way. Asking them to get back on the exhausting hamster wheel to keep restaurants and sandwich bars going would be short sighted and unfair.

That's true. If anything good might come out of this pandemic, it's the chance of a societal reset and a refocus of our priorities.

the corpo · 25-07-2020 11:52am

It would be amazing if Dublin regrew like an American city, like Chicago, where every neighbourhood has loads of amazing bars and restaurants.

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 25-07-2020 11:54am

I also don't understand how they expect all these people to travel in and out of work. It would cost an absolute fortune to lay on all the extra buses, luases and Darts needed. Also how could dozens of people milling around bus stops and stations socially distance.

If the days of thousands of people travelling into the city every day and buying sandwiches and meals out are over, then the business world will have to adapt.

Businesses are there to serve the people, not the other way around.

Shapey Fiend · 25-07-2020 11:57am

There's probably a balance to be found. A ton of people were moving to Dublin from abroad to work here. Its a question if the multinationals will give remote work to someone in Kildare or someone in eastern Europe who'll work cheaper. I'd guess they might favour employees live an hour from the office so they can call them in for a meeting/collaboration at short notice.

There are definitely too many restaurants and food outlets in the market. It's totally saturated by people want to run a restaurant that don't have the capital to do it well so they're offering a product you can get 10 other places with a mile walk. People relying too much on processed stuff is having a negative impact on our health in general if we're all not commuting we have time to eat a little better.

Muahahaha · 25-07-2020 2:05pm

ginoginelli wrote: »

Offices are not safe environments during the pandemic. They are classified as high risk due to being indoors for a lengthy period.

You can't really blame people for putting their health first and WfH.

Plus employers are legally responsible for an employees safety. So if they were to bring all their employees back into the office like these restaurants want and there was an outbreak of the virus in the office then the employer could be held legally responsible. It just wont be happening as a result.

Was reading that there is only about 25% of the usual office workers going into the city centre every day. Which means lots of restaurants are going to fold over this but what can you do, the end game to getting back to normality is a vaccine and that is still some way off.

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 25-07-2020 2:05pm

I agree. The restaurant business is very overcrowded in the city centre and is always a risky venture. Eating out is the first thing people cut back on when times are hard.

As I said I do feel sorry for anyone watching a hard worked for business going down the drain. But I’d much prefer to see restaurant owners be assisted to relocate or diversify than the government using working people as fodder to keep city centre restaurants open.

Beanybabog · 25-07-2020 2:31pm

People who go into work aren’t eating in them as well- my office has people in staggered arrangements and most of the people who used to eat out are bringing their lunch still.. they got used to it during lockdown (essential services so always one or two in throughout). People seem to be going in when they have to, doing whatever they have to do and bailing- leisurely hour lunches are gone

c68zapdsm5i1ru · 25-07-2020 4:00pm

I think it will be the same with restaurants in the evenings. Paying top dollar for a meal you have to rush through to be out in the required 90 mins isn’t going to attract people to hang around after work.

City centre restaurants

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