News of the closure of Bewleys on Westmoreland Street and Grafton Street has been greeted with dismay by members of the public.
The two Dublin premises were packed at lunchtime today, and many people there said the final closure on November 31st this year would mark "the end of an era" in Dublin.
Bewley's Oriental Cafes said the outlets between them incurred cumulative losses of some €4 million since 1996, despite multimillion euro investments in refurbishment in both buildings. The company's business had already been rescued by Campbells caterers in 1986.
A total of 234 staff from both cafés will be affected by the closures. The company says it will make "every effort to minimise the personal impact of this decison".
Jonas Cassidy of Ballsbridge, who has been coming to Bewleys since the 1970s, remembers when the staff wore maroon-coloured uniforms and knew everybody's name by heart. He feels the government should buy the cafés and keep them as a national institution.
"It's even immortalised in song by Noel Purcell - "A stroll down Stephen's Green". Kennedys bakery has gone, so have the Kylemore bakeries. . . and now Bewley's. What is the equivalent? . . . a more fast-moving placing?" he asked.
Couple Bill and Mary Kedroff, of Churchtown, Dublin, have been frequenting Bewley's for 40 years. Mary said: "It's awful to see it going. There's no place else where you can go in and stay an hour. I don't think the public's disappointment will make a difference and get them to stay," she said.
Her husband said: "Garret Fitzgerald gave them a subsidy to stay open years ago when it went into difficulties. The government could intervene again. It's a great place, especially for older people."
Joe McCann of Foxrock, Dublin, has been a customer for 55 years. He remembers his first visit with his parents after travelling in on the tram from Foxrock to Harcourt St.
"It's a community within a little community for people of a certain age. Nothing will replace it. . . . We won't be able to sit around and read The Irish Timesat leisure. We might as well have a cup of coffee at home," he said.
Two visitors, from London and Canada, told ireland.comit was "disgraceful" Bewleys was closing. They pair, who have been coming to Dublin for years, think Bewleys on Westmoreland Street is "unique".
In Grafton Street, one of the staff said the closure announcement didn't come as a surprise but that it was his second notice of transfer in just four months. He had been working in Bewleys bakers on Malahide Road which closed recently.
Many of the patrons of Bewleys are students who have made it a popular meeting place. Several students told ireland.comthey'd be sad to see the cafés go, although several said they thought the food - with one mentioning the breakfast - was not as good in recent years.
The managing director of Bewleys's Oriental Cafe, Mr Jim Corbett, told ireland.comthe Westmoreland Street premises, which the company owns, will be redeveloped in the coming years, but plans are still at the design stage. It would be logical to develop it into a hotel, as it has an existing hotel facility, he said.
In relation to the Grafton Street branch, he said the company is the leaseholder of the protected building and intends to sell it on. He said: "There are a number of interested parties" and "a queue of people looking for long term leases on this street".
A recent Irish Timesreport revealed that Grafton Street is the fifth-most expensive street to rent in the world.