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Dublin

12th Aug 2020

Local chef suggests abolishing €9 food rule in favour of creative alternative 

Sarah Finnan

chef

One local Dublin chef has weighed in on the current €9 substantial meal requirement, suggesting it be abolished in favour of a more creative alternative.

The head chef at Clanbrassil House and the culinary director at BuJo Burger Joint, Grainne O’Keefe is a well-known face in the Dublin foodie scene. Giving her two cents on the current €9 substantial meal requirement, Grainne took to Twitter to suggest abolishing the rule in favour of another alternative – one that could possibly enable pubs that don’t serve food (also known as ‘wet pubs’) to reopen.

“Just a thought but what about getting rid of the 9€ food spend for people who want to have a pre-dinner drink in a pub before they go to a restaurant? They show their booking confirmation for a local restaurant and it’s a 2 drink limit.”

https://twitter.com/Grainne43/status/1293261304581545985

Responding to the idea, owners at local pub 57 The Headline – a close neighbour to Clanbrassil House – said that welcoming customers in for pre-dinner drinks or post-dinner cocktails and chats is a part of business they “really miss”. A sentiment echoed by Galway foodie favourite Kai restaurant.

Public response to the idea has been mostly positive with one describing it as being both “creative and sensible”.  Many have said that the suggestion would make the prospect of dining out more attractive and would encourage people to step out in support of their favourite local spots.

Header image via Instagram/Clanbrassil House

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