Tag Archives: Restaurant

AN award winning Ennis restaurant has announced it is closing its doors for good. The owners of the Rowan Tree Cafe Bar on Harmony Row confirmed they have made the “difficult decision” to cease trading as of Monday of this week. According to a social media post the decision to close was made “due to increasing and unsustainable operational costs”. “We would like to thank all our loyal guests and customers for their valued custom over the years and most importantly thanks to our fantastic employees many of whom have been with us since the beginning, for their loyalty and dedicated hard work, we will miss the interactions with you all on a daily basis but we feel now is the right time to end this chapter,” stated Brian and Marianne O’Neill. They have urged anybody with a gift voucher to contact them by email at info@rowantreecafebar.ie before Friday.

Small business owners in the hospitality industry are asking the people of Clare to ‘Support Your Local’ and choose a trip to their local pub, restaurant or hotel this summer. The call is part of the Support Your Local Campaign, which is seeking to highlight the economic contribution that the drinks and hospitality industry makes across the country. Recent research shows that, in Clare, the drinks and hospitality industry accounts for 329 hotels and pubs; supports 2,909 jobs; pays €66mm in wages and purchases 7.8m litres of milk. “Nothing beats a trip to the local pub. Pubs are the hub of the local town, the heart of the local community, a place where people can relax and enjoy the welcome surrounds of friends and neighbours or simply pop in for a quick bite on a Sunday,” says Charlie O’Meara from Moroney’s Bar, Market Place, Ennis and chairman of the Clare Branch of the Vintners Federation of Ireland. “If we are …

The Restaurant Association of Ireland has kick-started a campaign to highlight how critical it is that the reduced VAT rate of 9% is kept in place for 2014 and beyond, in order for the Irish economy to remain competitive. The nine-day campaign began on September 9 and getting behind it is Ennis bar and restaurant The Cloister, run by husband and wife Dermot and Noreen Fetton. The couple are in their first year of business at this premises and are hugely concerned that the forthcoming budget could see a VAT hike, something that would make trading extremely difficult for them going forward. In embarking on the campaign to maintain the current VAT rate, The Cloister has lobbied Deputy Timmy Dooley for support. Mrs Fetton said the reason they got behind the campaign  is to stave off any further increase in overheads in their sector and to ensure jobs are retained and a quality service is maintained, while remaining competitive. “We …