Recession sees restaurants replacing shops

Footfall in Dublin city centre is rising and restaurants and food outlets are increasingly moving into spaces vacated by shops, according to the Dublin City Business Improvement District.

Its chief executive, Richard Guiney, said traders were noticing more applications for change of usage permits for retail units “and those spaces are then reopening as food outlets”.

Mr Guiney said there was a sense that things were picking up in the city centre. Dublin city traders had 13 cameras around the city centre to measure footfall and they showed an increase in footfall last year for the first time since 2006. “The footfall increase was modest – up by 1.6 per cent – but it was the first sign of hope in a while,” Mr Guiney said.

“There are a number of innovative entrepreneurs out there who are coming up with ideas that are capturing the imagination of the general public.”

He said the increase in food outlets was particularly noticeable in the area behind Grafton Street, which takes in South William Street and George’s Street and has been dubbed the “creative quarter”.

“There’s been an international move towards balancing of what is known as leisure activities – including restaurants and entertainment – and retail, so it’s something I think we are going to see a lot more of.”

He said Dublin City Council’s research in 2011 found that people’s single biggest reason for coming into the city was to dine out. While many restaurants had closed in the recession, he said the downturn had made surviving restaurants more competitive, and good value was always available. Mr Guiney was speaking at an event to mark Dine in Dublin, which takes place next week.

Dine in Dublin Week of deals

Beginning on Monday, the seven-day Dine in Dublin event includes offers in restaurants, cafes and bars as well as demonstrations, competitions, Prosecco evenings, wine-tastings, traditional sessions and belly dancing events.

Some 60 restaurants and bars are providing offers, including Pichet, 101 Talbot, and Dunne and Crescenzi, and a number of Park Rite car parks are offering a special rate of €3 from 6pm. dineindublin.ie