Bewley’s customers drink up before cafe closes for six-month revamp

It’s back to the future for Bewley’s, the Grafton Street, Dublin landmark. Ten years after it closed its doors for refurbishment to open a restaurant, it closed again yesterday.

It is another refurbishment, but this time to reverse the change and return to what it used to be – a cafe for tea and buns. Or in keeping with current tastes, coffee and buns.

"We're going back to where we came from, back to being a cafe," said Bewley's Cól Campbell.

Mr Campbell said business would be confined to the ground floor, basement and mezzanine. The upper floors are expected to be let out.

There will be new flooring, changed counters, an expanded craft bakery, and in the main dining room the self service area will be removed with a return to a traditional table service, a feature of the cafe since its 19th century opening.

High rent

With an annual rent of €1.5 million on the historic building and a turnover of €5.5 million and annual losses of €1.2 million in Grafton Street, “we have to move to a situation that’s more efficient”, Mr Campbell said.

Staff were informed in January of the changes and an information leaflet issued to customers to keep them up to date. Just 70 of the 140 employees will return when the cafe reopens, it is hoped, on September 1st.

Staff who won’t be rehired have been given additional barista and service training to go to other jobs.

The discerning Bewley’s customer is now twice as likely to order coffee as tea and where most tea drinkers used to be “middle of the road”, many now like it much stronger, or else green and herbal. But the original clipper tea is still the number one blend for Bewley’s.

The last customers pondered the cafe’s past and future. Mary Farrell, originally from Co Tipperary, is in most days. “I hope they make their millions to pay the rent,” she said.

Kitty Carroll, also from Tipperary and living in Dublin, is in every second week. Her husband died from multiple sclerosis and she said she heard on the radio on Thursday that if somebody drank seven cups of coffee they wouldn’t get MS. She used to drink a lot of it on night shift as a nurse, but then couldn’t sleep and is more of a tea drinker.

The family of Dick Hogg from Co Down, have long been Bewley’s fans. His mother, on the eve of her 1950 wedding, came into Bewley’s with her bridesmaid and her wedding cake.

Any time Dick is in Dublin he makes the “pilgrimage” to Grafton Street.

Val Kearney, originally from Dublin, came up from Portarlington. "I wanted to be here for the closing. I've been coming here for 55 years," says the former Red Hurley band performer. "I have many happy memories of days here."

He recalls how years ago “you could smell the coffee roasting from down the street and you couldn’t resist coming in”.

“It is the best coffee you’d get anywhere in the world – and I’ve done a lot of travelling.”