Ireland: Diageo busy keeping up with the increased demand ahead of restaurants and bars reopening

Following the recent announcement of the updated plans for reopening Ireland, the majority of restaurants and bars in Ireland are already planning for June 7, the Irish Mirror reported on May 8.

With outdoor services set to resume for groups limited to six people, the return of the hospitality sector is a massive boost for staff, patrons, and the public alike.

Last month, traditional pubs in Dublin marked 400 consecutive days of closure and while the majority of pubs in Ireland have remained closed, the taps haven't been exactly dry in others.

Throughout the pandemic, the popularity of takeaway pints has seen some pubs take in a small level of income and as expected, this would require the kegs to be replenished.

While Diageo hasn't exactly shut up shop since February 2020 - the world's largest producers of spirits and beers do have markets beyond Ireland and even in terms of this country, they did keep supply steady when lockdown was lifted last December - the recent decision to purse an outdoor summer will see local demand for Guinness, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Bell's etc increase.

Since the recent announcement was made about hospitality returning, the sight of kegs being unloaded in pubs and restaurants around Ireland has been more prevalent and in a statement made to the Irish Mirror, Diageo has said they've been busy keeping up with the increased demand for their drinks.

"We are looking forward to hotels and outdoor hospitality reopening in early June and are currently working hard to ensure our licensed premises are fully supplied and ready to offer customers great tasting Guinness," they said.

While the next few weeks will undoubtedly see busy beer gardens around Ireland, indoor hospitality (restaurants, bars, nightclubs, casinos) are still deemed to be a 'higher-risk activity' and any decision to reopen them will be made at the end of June.

During an interview with Newstalk, the Taoiseach said it might be possible to have an indoor pint by late July, depending on the success of Ireland's vaccine programme and the prevalent case numbers.

When asked if fans could have an indoor pint and then go to the All Ireland final (in August), he said: "It depends. The indoor pint, certainly not in May or June," he said.

"It may be possible towards the end of July, and I think it's within that timeframe. It's a possibility.

"I don't want to be nailing my colours to the mast on that, but, by then we will have very significant numbers of people vaccinated."

Speaking on May 5, Tànaiste Leo Varadkar said that he hopes the vast majority of restrictions would be lifted by the end of summer.

The Fine Gael leader offered hope that people will be able to dine and drink indoors once again as restrictions are eased.

Mr Varadkar said: "I will still be hopeful and on the confident side of hopeful that we'll have indoor dining in pubs and restaurants in July It's just that July is quite far away, and we can't really make a call until the end of June.

“But you know cases are stable, hospitalisations and ICUs are falling. And every day tens of thousands of more people are vaccinated so you know, if I was in the hospitality business I'd be planning for outdoors in June and indoors in July, subject to all the usual caveats.”

08 May, 2021