Cork publican who has shut chain of 15 heritage bars says 'we will prevail'
Publican Benny McCabe, who shut down his chain of 15 heritage pubs across Cork city on Saturday, said the decision will cost his business millions but that common sense had to prevail.
And he said he will continue to pay his 300-staff for as long as he can — for at least the next two weeks and beyond, “if the money doesn’t run out”.
“My staff are worth too much to me to put their health at risk,” he said. “And I will need my team around me again when we reopen.
“We are just pressing pause. This will take a national effort but everyone needs to take a breath, calm down and prepare for reopening the doors again in a few weeks.”
Mr McCabe made the announcement more than a day before Health Minister Simon Harris recommended all pubs to close their doors. Dozens of Cork bars, restaurants and cafés followed suit ahead of the minister’s recommendation, with many citing the health and welfare of staff and patrons as their primary concern.
Mr McCabe, who runs some of Cork’s most popular venues including The Crane Lane, The Mutton Lane Inn, The Oval, The Rising Sons Brewery, and Sin É, said he has spent the last two weeks liaising with suppliers, the banks, Revenue and City Hall in anticipation of having to close the doors.
He said they have been understanding and supportive but he said businesses in every sector will need increased government support and assurances to survive the crisis.
“We bailed out the banks and bondholders. Now it’s time for us to get support,” he said.
“The Government must ensure there are no evictions as a consequence of non-payment of rent and there can be no threats from landlords.
“Just tell the landlord you can’t pay the rent. Simple as that. We are just pressing pause here.
“There will be hundreds if not thousands of layoffs in the next few weeks but this will be short-lived, we will open again and we will all need the staff again.”
He also said he feels that people will look back on the staging of Cheltenham and the behaviour of customers in pubs in Temple Bar on Saturday as “colossal mistakes”.
“We have worked on building this business over the last 25 years with the custom and support of the people of Cork and now is the time for solidarity across the city and wider regions with our healthcare workers and emergency services,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
He promised events to support bands and DJs when his pubs reopen, and announced plans to stage a St Patrick’s Day event in June.
“You are our beating heart,” he said.
He encouraged people to use the shut-down period to reflect on how business is done in Ireland, how we live our lives and to explore what it means to be kind.
“One hundred years ago this year, Cork was burnt to the ground,” he said.
“This is a different scenario but Cork will prevail as before. Mind yourselves and I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
