Rustic Stone and BrasserieSixty6 have joined All My Friends and P.Macs in Dublin’s hospitality graveyard. Deputy Editor Lucy Warmington discusses.
One after another, cornerstones of Dublin’s restaurant scene are shutting their doors, a symptom of post-Covid lifestyles and a severe cost-of-living crisis. Too many independent food spots I once loved have closed down, only to be replaced by something new - and short lived. All of them trying to find the right niche to avoid the fate of their predecessor. With more people opting to work-from-home there has been a consequential reduction in lunch-time trade for restaurants. So, who is keeping what is left of Dublin’s restaurant scene alive?
When well-known chef Dylan McGrath announced the immediate closure of his restaurants Rustic Stone and Brasserie Sixty6 a few weeks ago, it stirred a conversation. Brasserie Sixty6 had been open and successful for 25 years, Rustic Stone for 15. If even Dylan McGrath is susceptible to forced-closures, then how can anywhere hope to stay open? In an Instagram post announcing the restaurants’ closures, McGrath stated that “looking at hospitality in the city” it was “simply not sustainable” to keep them open, adding that it is a “challenging time” for stand-alone restaurant models.
In recent months, we’ve lost spaces such as All My Friends, P.Macs, Simon’s Place, Ukiyo, Token and Leeson Street coffee kiosk Perch; all iconic (and popular) Dublin spots. When All My Friends closed in January, they directly addressed the fact that Ireland’s “punitive taxation system” and increasing costs for small, independent businesses had become “too much to bear”. When Token closed in May, it echoed the same sentiment, stating they were no longer able to “justify raising prices further to meet rising costs.”
When All My Friends closed in January, they directly addressed the fact that Ireland’s "punitive taxation system” and increasing costs for small, independent businesses had become “too much to bear”.
Yet, at the same time, Dublin is constantly inundated with new openers. Roots have opened an açai and coffee shop on Drury street, directly opposite new pizza spot Mani. Dublin’s first matcha themed café, The Matcha Bar, opened in The Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in July. While we’re watching and waiting to see if these can last the year, Bambino will be opening its third location in the space that used to be Token.
To me, it feels as though these new openers were brought to life by a viral TikTok. That is not a comment on the merit of each place, rather an insight into what seems to appeal to the demographic of consumers keeping them open. Students and young people, despite being the poorest of us all, have propelled places like Bambinos into Chain-dom. Whilst I certainly was not frequenting Rustic Stone or Brasserie Sixty6 to pay over €40 on a meal and drink, I do buy a slice of pizza at DiFontaines for €5.50, a Carluccio’s pasta tub for €5.50, or a late night noodle box from Xi’an for €8.50. The model for new openers appears to be targeted at a steady stream of consumers spending less than €10 per visit.
Regardless of how popular these new openers are, Dublin is losing its gems. The treasured places that are unique, worn-in and have character are fading away, unable to cater to the dwindling bank accounts of their consumers. Nor should they have to. Ireland’s hospitality sector needs the urgent support it has been begging the government for since Covid struck four years ago, but with the long-term solutions essentially linked to a widely-needed economic policy change, it feels far out of reach.
The treasured places that are unique, worn-in and have character are fading away, unable to cater to the dwindling bank accounts of their consumers.
Ultimately, costs and living expenses are so high that nobody can afford to go out for a sit-down meal. The housing crisis has forced people into working remotely, or into long commuting hours on notoriously poor public transport networks, unable to lend time or money to an after-work meal with friends. The cost-of-living crisis is crippling us all, and hospitality is paying the price. If anyone could afford to pay for a whole meal, I am sure restaurants wouldn’t have to employ a Social Media Manager or ensure Instagrammability to survive.
Basically, I miss the old Simon’s Place.