More than 7,000 pubs and 50,000 employees in Ireland are in trouble. The establishments were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and will not be able to open anytime soon. Some of them, however, have been testing new ways to keep the business running and their customers supplied … with beer!
McKeever’s Bar & Lounge, located in a rural community about 30 miles from Dublin, is making aerial deliveries using a drone. The pub, which has a 152-year history, receives several orders for beer every day – usually Heineken or Bulmers, and sometimes a packet of chips, according to the owner.
Another innovative pub is Graingers Hanlons Corner, Dublin, a pioneer in the delivery of pints in the city. The team receives the order – usually Guinness – seals the cups and places them in a cooler. Deliverers, wearing a mask and gloves, deliver at a distance of up to 5km, respecting the restrictions imposed by the lockdown and keeping the beer cold. The owner says he has not received any complaints so far about the temperature of the beer.
The Big Romance pub, also in Dublin, went further and installed a tap in a van, so you can serve the pints directly at the home of the ordering consumers.
Since customers cannot go to the pub, the pub goes to the customers.
Economic situation
One study showed that 6 out of 10 pub owners in Dublin fear their business will have to stay closed for the rest of the year. Despite the measures recently announced, which allow the reopening of pubs from August 10, the cost of operating the services will increase, reducing the profit of establishments that will be in the red for months.
A proposal submitted by the LVA, association of bars and pubs, asks the government to allow the reopening of establishments in June, along with cafes and restaurants, respecting rules such as: without many people, without live music, without orders at the counter and respecting all distance and hygiene measures. The proposal is being analyzed by the government.
