Bewleys to take a six-week coffee break

The final phase of a multi-million pound refurbishment programme by the Campbell Bewley Group on its Dublin city centre cafes begins in January when the Westmoreland Street outlet will undergo "major surgery".

Up to £1.5 million will be spent on the cafe, which is the oldest in the Bewley chain, having opened its doors in 1894.

The refurbishment of the premises comes just one year after as much as £4.9 million was invested in overhauling the Grafton Street outlet, which has a throughput of some 3.5 million customers annually - almost the equivalent of the entire population of the State.

The company came in for criticism after it went over budget on the Grafton Street project and there were accusations that it had removed some of the old art-deco elements which are part of the Bewley legacy.

However, Patrick Campbell, Group Chairman of the Campbell Bewley Group Ltd, dismisses this criticism. "People forget what the place was like. We have never thrown out anything of significance and a lot of the money we spent was underneath the surface. An example would be the installation of shower, changing and canteen facilities for staff," he said.

The chief executive of the group, Dan Cronin, added that when people saw Grafton Street refurbished last year, they took grave exception to the fact that it didn't look like Westmoreland Street. But he pointed out that the Grafton Street cafe belongs to a different era. It was opened in the 1920s and reflects that period, with its Harry Clarke windows.

"In carrying out developments, we have been faithful to that era. We even installed art deco toilets costing £350,000 to remain absolutely true to the tradition that was in Grafton Street," he said.

In Westmoreland Street, a similar approach will be adopted with every effort being made, in so far as it is possible, to retain the Edwardian features which make the cafe an integral part of old Dublin. The light fittings, fireplaces, 100-year-old marble tables, stained glass windows and wooden features will remain but the "surgery" will involve repairing seating, floor covering and giving the electrical and mechanical systems a major overhaul. Here again, much of the investment will be on hidden costs, such as roof repairs and a new air conditioning and extraction system.

Mr Campbell says the original plan was to start work on the refurbishment of the cafe a year ago but it has taken 12 months to plan the developments in detail. He explained that the cafe, with 9,000 sq ft in floorspace, is almost unique in Europe, and by the time refurbishments are complete, it will probably look a little different but its overall feel will be the same.

Architect Paul Brazil is handling plans for the refurbishment while the Campbell Bewley Group has also been consulting with artist Peter Pearson, a man with a passion for old Dublin, on the cafe's image.

"We keep in tune with people like that because we are always conscious of preserving the legacy we inherited from Bewleys in 1986," Mr Campbell continued.

Campbell Catering merged with Bewleys in the mid 1980s to form Campbell Bewley Group Ltd after Bewleys ran into financial difficulties. At that stage, £3.5 million was spent refurbishing the Grafton and Westmoreland Street cafes but after several years use, the cafes were due a second overhaul.

The Westmoreland Street cafe will close for up to six weeks in the New Year while work is being carried out and, when refurbishment is complete, the company will concentrate on opening other branches.

"We are very aware that the city centre stores are very centrally linked to the Bewleys brand. They are icons and the quality of work we do on these premises has an impact on the brand perception not just in Dublin but internationally," Mr Cronin said.

He insists that while the ambience in each outlet should be the same, they are not trying to create each new branch out of a single mould. "Some people think we are trying to impose uniformity but nothing could be further from the truth. When we open new branches they reflect the modern era but we try to include some elements such as wood finishes and natural floors to give the customer a feel for the original Bewleys," the group's chief executive said.