Cork set for summer of outdoor dining as licence fees waived 

Businesses in Cork city are hoping for another summer of lively streets thanks to outdoor dining, with Cork already “stealing a march” on Government policy.

The waiving of licence fees for outdoor dining is to be extended in 2023, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien announced.

The scrapping of outdoor dining fees nationwide will allow businesses to “save hundreds of euro” in the coming summer months, according to Mr O’Brien.

The extension will continue to see fees for tables and chairs outside hotels, restaurants, and pubs scrapped. The fee is usually priced at €125 per table.

Similar to previous years, there will also be no fee for awnings, canopies, and heaters used in conjunction with the tables and chairs.

However, one Cork restaurant owner has praised Cork City Council for being steps ahead, having already planned to waive fees for outdoor dining.

“Cork City Council stole the march on this, like they did at the start,” Claire Nash, owner of Nash 19 on Princes Street, said. “The fees have already been waived for us ... that is going to be hugely beneficial. 

"For those of us that have invested a lot of money — particularly on Princes Street — it is going to be another very busy season.

“This is of huge benefit. The cost of everything else has risen and this is another license fee that we would have had to pay.”

Princes Street restaurateurs came together with other street traders to engage in talks with Cork City Council during the pandemic to set up seating outdoors to comply with social distancing when covid-19 regulations were relaxed.

The “eat-on-the street” plan saw the street adjacent to Oliver Plunkett Street closed off to vehicles and instead transformed into an oasis for outdoor dining, which has since remained in place.

It has been a huge success, Ms Nash said, and that looks set to continue.

“We are very busy on the street again already,” he said. “From now until the end of September, Nash 19 will have its eight tables flying outside.”

She said plans are in the pipeline to further enhance the outdoor experience on Princes Street, come rain or shine.

“We were questioned why we didn’t have much outdoor dining in January, February, March, and April, even though March was the wettest month in the past 20 years. 

"We are now working on facilities that will weatherproof the street and we are really looking forward to that being a proposition for us.”

Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy said: “Outdoor dining has brought great benefits to Cork City and the waiving of fees encourages businesses to continue to invest and upgrade their outdoor dining offering particularly now as we move into summer period.

“This would be a great boost for businesses across the city as Cork has been transformed by outdoor dining, making it an even more attractive and vibrant city and transforming the city’s streetscape.”