A sign spotted outside a local restaurant in Skibbereen down in Co Cork has resonated with passersby who have described it as an apt summary of what the current situation is really like for business owners in the hospitality industry.
Shared on Twitter by Richard Grogan, the photo was spotted outside Annie May’s restaurant in Skibbereen. According to Grogan, the board outside “sums up the pressure the hospitality sector is under”.
Written on a chalkboard positioned right beside the restaurant’s menu offerings, it reads:
“If you would like to know how it feels to be in the hospitality business during the current crisis, remember when the Titanic was sinking but the band continued to play. Well, we’re the band.”
Annie May’s Restaurant In Skibbereen. The board outside sums up the pressure the hospitality sector is under. pic.twitter.com/C6UTvY3Vp5
— Richard Grogan & Ass (@GroganRichard) July 31, 2020
A fairly grim comparison, but one that many business owners in the hospitality/food and beverage industry can probably relate to given the current circumstances.
Fellow Cork business Tabletop, a board game cafe with branches in both Cork city and Bantry, retweeted the photo, agreeing that the situation is “bleak” and saying that they can relate to that which the owners at Annie May’s have described.
“We felt this. For months through the lockdown until we were forced to make the call to close Castle Street, we felt this.
I’m feeling more positive now, but it’s a very tough place to be & my heart goes out to everyone playing in the same boat.”
Several pubs, restaurants and cafes have been calling out for custom since reopening with many also facing the added pressure of dealing with no show bookings and last-minute cancellations as well.
Header image via Twitter/Richard Grogan
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