'We are having to clean human excrement off our doorsteps': Restaurateur calls for Cork to be made more attractive

A Cork restaurateur has raised concerns about the attractiveness of Cork city centre and how it is affecting businesses.

Richard Gavin, the owner of SpitJack on Washington St, has said Cork city centre is no longer making people feel welcome and is deterring potential customers from spending time in the city.

Mr Gavin called on Cork City Council to provide more amenities in the city centre such as public toilets.

“We are having to clean human excrement off our doorsteps,” he said.

“There are no public toilets in the city and we have a homelessness crisis — but nothing is being provided for people on the streets.

“So what we need the council to do is provide a safe, clean environment for customers who want to come into the city so we can have some chance of making our businesses survive.

“I think the days are gone of asking for supports because there’s no appetite there for that.”

He also called for the council to make an effort to put Cork back on the map as the foodie destination of Ireland by helping to save businesses from more closures.

“We’ve had a lot of restaurants close in Cork that had been trading for years.

“It’s hard for Cork. The city has lost some really good restaurants and really good restaurant operators, and Cork is built on a culture of food.

“I moved to Cork and set up my business here because of what Cork could offer in terms of being a food-led capital and produce capital.”

Mr Gavin said that tourism exists off the back of Cork’s food culture and that people come to the city because it is known as the food destination of Ireland, but that its identity as such has been falling apart in recent years.

“When we first opened, there were food tours and a lot of different things promoting food in Cork and it was a very vibrant city in terms of what they were offering but a lot of that is gone,” Mr Gavin said.

“People are now just trying to survive.”

Cork City Council has been contacted by The Echo for comment on the issues raised by Mr Gavin.