Indoor dining likely to have 105-minute time limit when eateries reopen
On In The Ireland The Rules Latest Fáilte Announce Return Will Today Dining, Indoor To Expected Which Guidance Around July Is
Indoor dining is likely to come with a 105-minute time limit when it returns.
Fáilte Ireland will today announce the latest guidance on the rules around indoor dining, which is expected to return in July.
The rules for indoors will differ from those which will govern the return of outdoor dining on June 7.
The main difference will be the time limit, which will not exist for outdoor dining. Indoor dining will have a limit of six people per table and the Fáilte Ireland guidance is expected to put a clear emphasis on ventilation indoors.
Tourism Minister Catherine Martin yesterday confirmed that outdoor dining will have no time limit and will see the two-metre gap between tables halved.
The difference in rules is likely to be deeply unpopular with the hospitality industry, which has already raised issues with hotel restaurants being allowed open from June 2 for indoor dining.
CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said rules permitting hotels to serve food indoors should be extended to all restaurants.
“We would like to open in line with hotels because there is no difference between a hotel restaurant and an independent restaurant next door to them,” he told .
Why is it safer to dine in a Hotel Restaurant and not in stand alone Restaurant, Gastro Pub or Cafe@DonnellyStephen @LeoVaradkar @MichealMartinTD @cathmartingreen @Failte_Ireland @RAI_ie
— Adrian Cummins 🇮🇪🇪🇺 (@adriancummins) May 24, 2021
“The indications are that the guidelines will be, there or thereabouts, the same as last year for indoor hospitality, but the difference for outdoor hospitality will be that there will be no time limits for people,” he said.
Last year’s guidelines had worked well for the food business, they had been implemented “as best we could”, he said.
“We are looking forward to these being published so people can start to plan and prepare for reopening when we get a date to reopen restaurants, gastropubs and coffeeshops across the country.”
Mr Cummins welcomed the one-metre space between tables, anything bigger would leave many businesses unviable, he warned.
“We always said that one metre is a viable space for hospitality but two metres is not viable at all because you lose nearly 75% of your space within a business. At one metre, you still lose space. You lose about 25% of your space within a restaurant. That is a loss of income, that puts a lot of pressure on a business to operate viably.
“We want to get back open as soon as possible.”