More than 600 restaurants and cafes closed in just one year, including Nash 19 , Blazing Salads, Shanahan’s and Assassination Custard. Photograph: Agency StockOur food system is complicated and currently unsustainable, involving convoluted supply chains, ultra-processed foods, deforestation, and over reliance on chemicals.
The average business at that protest in October has a turnover of just €20,000 a week and employs about 16 people. But the bottom line of these wee eateries does not reflect the key role they play in our communities. Most importantly, independent restaurants are a key part of a sustainable Irish food system because they showcase Irish food and support short supply chains, Irish farmers and other food producers. Not only is food service an important market, restaurants – and their customers – treasure good food and champion organic produce, often providing the early name recognition and stamp of approval that helps those producers transition to bigger markets at home and abroad.