The Hospitality industry is on its knees, and I feel this time recovery will be less likely to happen quickly with rising costs of food, lack of staff and lack of quality chefs coming through the industry.
It’s Sunday evening and myself and the family are yet again sitting outside Rosscarbery Fish & Chip Store in our car eating some of the best food in our locality that is reasonably priced, has quality ingredients, a great end product, and plenty of it.
We have been doing this for some years now but in recent times I started thinking about why the hell am I not in a restaurant or café getting the same cuisine but instead I have to sit in my own car to get a great meal. Well its simple, its dam hard to find a place that’s good, consistent and has quality food and service.
The amount of times I have had very disappointing cuisine is much higher than the times I have had great food, and seems paying 100 euro for rubbish food seems more acceptable today, because of rising costs, inflation linked to renting costs, lack of staff and what Covid 19 and the war what has presented to us in recent times.
It’s quite the opposite which for me I am not accepting this as being OK.
I understand that more closures will happen going forward in 2023 and 2024, and it’s so sad, but the people that are trading in the hospitality industry have a responsibility to stand up and produce good cuisine no matter if it’s a sausage roll in café or seared Lamb Rump on a Celeriac Mash.
I’m finding myself and family that we keep going to the same 3 establishments as we know we won’t be let down. I have no problem paying the price in front of us due to the quality of the food and service, but without naming any eating establishment I would not go back to a handful and for the first time I’m ready to complain to restaurateurs about the appalling meal I receive.
Please understand the chef under cooking the steak, or the waiter forgetting the side of chips or vegetable’s is not what I am writing about. Its rotten cauliflower on a plate, warm food that is cold by the time you finish it, and the worse thing for me is the so called chef and waiter and owner accepts that this is OK, and is quite happy to serve this to customers.
I have made mistakes in the kitchen and have made myself known to the customer and apologised but these were mix ups, not putting out hacked tough lamb or beef, or rubbish food.
My Biggest Fear
Six years ago finding a quality chef was becoming harder and harder, and today in my opinion it’s at a world time low. The industry rising costs are allowing big suppliers within Ireland to change cuisine by presenting portioned proteins like Turkey & Ham, Beef etc. with powdered gravy you just add water too, with prepped mixed veg that you boil or steam, with a brought in mash potato and there is your Sunday Roast.
What an insult to the industry. This is happening, and my fear is the next 10 to 20 years will not produce what a chef stands for, and we will be eating prepared, flavourless food, due to lack of education and people not wanting to work in the industry. Your mother could have a better idea of how to cook from scratch than a so called professional chef.
Knowing how to identify sirloin steak, or fresh produce to serve quality in a restaurant is key to becoming a good chef. Knife Skills, Cooking Skills, Knowledge, Costings, Training,
Controlling Service, Mentoring and have the confidence to do this is what needs to happen. This all will be lost and over shadowed by the lack of chefs and the way the industry is adapting to easy way out and shortcuts the chefs are being shown.
I read article recently about we have to look after our chefs and mentor them. Chefs have always been mentored but in my opinion it’s too late because this should have been dealt with 10 years ago. Chefs cannot be spoon-feed now because the industry is in terminal regarding no chefs. They have to be taught and then moved on to a better or new environment to learn a new cuisine and structure under experienced chefs. Perhaps the time for overseas travel to learn for a good 5 years should be the way forward then come back to Irish shores.
Food Trucks & Takeaway Establishments
In recent years the innovation of chefs have blown my mind with the introduction of Food Trucks and takeaway places which the greasy chipper is hard to find now. All places have upped their game to produce restaurant food out of a small establishment or takeaway store.
The Public Needs To Be Aware
The reasoning behind this article is to warn the public that this happening and don’t dear pay prices for something that is terrible. Our personal incomes due to rising costs are being hit which is giving us less pocket money, so when we do go out you want to make sure we get what we pay for without feeling disappointed. This is up to the establishments you choose to make sure your dining experience is on point.
The following places I recommend, where I have eaten myself or fellow food colleagues have recommended in West Cork.
- Rosacarbery Traditional Fish & Chips (Rosscarbery)
- The Church Restaurant (Skibbereen)
- Kirby’s – The Whales Tail (Clonakilty)
- Thyme to Eat – Food Truck (West Cork)
- Monks Lane (Timoleague)
- The Brick Oven (Bantry)
- Bally Bia (Ballydehob)
- Ya Burger (Ballydehob)
- L’Escale Fish & Chips (Schull)
- The Fish Basket (Castlefreke)
- The Wild Garlic Shop & Restaurant (Dunmanway)
These are my picks at the moment and I’m sure there are more but there are a lot hospitality establishments that need to wake up very quickly, because bums on seats will not happen unless they invest and take a good look into their own businesses and be honest with themselves to get it right.
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