An Irish pub in Castlebar, County Mayo, forced to close its doors since the start of the pandemic, came up with a clever idea to reinvent itself and restart its business. The concept: transform the Irish pub into an alcohol-free bar. Essentially a café/bistro, this allows it to cleverly bypass the restrictions imposed by the Irish government.
Bridge St, a pub with great ideas
The counter now serves coffee and pastries
Coffee, tea, and cakes. That’s what the Bridge St, an Irish pub in County Mayo, now offers. Its owner, strangled by the forced closure, was eager to reopen: it was essential to get the doors open again…
He then had the idea to temporarily convert his establishment into a tea room. This gave him the chance to restart his business while complying with COVID-19 regulations. (As a reminder, only Irish pubs selling exclusively drinks are required to remain closed. Irish pubs serving food are allowed to welcome customers.)
It must be said the concept is quite clever: it allows locals to gather again in a social space (while respecting safety measures) and brings life back to an Irish pub that had been at a standstill.
On site, bottles of alcohol have been replaced by non-alcoholic drinks, a coffee and tea machine. The beer taps have been carefully put away… And the counter now displays some delicious pastries.
This might tempt some to come and relax with friends over a cup of tea. A chance to enjoy a social moment (so dear to the Irish), while helping save the economy of Bridge St.
A cool and fun concept that could inspire other Irish pubs across Ireland! As a reminder, many pubs remain closed due to the pandemic: the length of the crisis could ultimately threaten their economic survival… In just a few months, many pubs have had to close permanently, unable to withstand the wait and the damage caused by lockdowns.
