It's been just a few years since Galway's restaurant, Loam, was crowned the best in Ireland. However, rising operational costs have dimmed its star, and now Chef Enda McEvoy wants to redirect talent and resources towards a new challenge.
The news
The Michelin star is every chef's dream, not only for its undeniable prestige but also for the presumed increase in revenue, which has always been calculated through obscure percentages. However, the costs of maintaining such excellence need to be subtracted, and as a result, many tend to downplay the figures. Now, they find support in the story of Loam, a restaurant located in Galway, Ireland, which recently closed its wine bar with a bakery on Druid Lane, as reported by Business Plus.
According to calculations by the Restaurants Association of Ireland, which opposes the threatened increase in VAT for the sector, likely to happen from next September, the country has been losing one restaurant per day due to the surge in costs over the past year. Faced with this scenario, the chef of Loam, Enda McEvoy, and his wife Sinead Meacle have been pondering for a long time.
"We regret to announce that Loam will not reopen at its current location on Fairgreen road. We were offered the opportunity to break the lease contract, and after careful consideration, we accepted. The costs of managing such a large space nowadays are insane, and it doesn't seem like it will improve soon. Behind the scenes, we are working on a new project, and of course, our second venue, Éan, will reopen," they stated.
"We've made many friends among our regular customers, both Irish and international. We've witnessed countless first dates, anniversaries, birthdays, and even weddings hosted in these spaces. We know that this restaurant holds a special place for many people. We would like to thank everyone for choosing to spend their special moments with us, but there will be many more in the future," they promise.
The outcome is unexpected considering that Loam, which opened in 2014, boasted a solid and long-lasting Michelin star, as well as the title of the country's best restaurant, obtained not too long ago in 2019 from the aforementioned RAI. Ironically, the name on the sign literally means "fertile soil," the green land of Western Ireland, whose essence the couple sought to capture. However, this habitat proved hostile during the current season of inclement weather. "These are extremely precarious times for the industry, due to energy prices and high management costs in general," commented sorrowfully Adrian Cummins, director of RAI.
