‘It’s a shame something that should be positive for Ireland has a negative impact’ on firms

Road closures related to EU presidency events begin in Dublin on Tuesday, with disruption expected to worsen as week progressesAdam Maciel, general manager at Nutbutter, Grand Canal Dock, said lunch trade on Monday was already down in advance of restrictions coming into force in Dublin this week. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Road closures will begin in Dublin from this morning, with disruption set to worsen as the week goes on, to facilitate high-level meetings as part of the State’s Council of the European Union presidency.Business owners expect the traffic and security measures to have a huge impact on trade in affected areas, with some choosing to close for part of the week as a result. Gavan Walsh, owner of Boca Cafe at Spencer Dock, said it was “great” for the Republic to hold the EU presidency, but the business would not be opening on Thursday and Friday, when the disruption is to peak as dozens of European leaders gather nearby at Convention Centre Dublin. With many people working in the area being advised to stay at home, Walsh said he saw “zero point in us opening for those days”.READ MORE“It’s a shame something that should be positive for Ireland has a negative impact on the local businesses.” Gardaí and council workers opening manhole covers on Macken Street, close to the Convention Centre Dublin, last week. Photograph: Dara MacDónaill/The Irish Times He said closing the cafe, which opens from Monday to Friday, for two days would “wipe out maybe about six weeks of any profit” as he will have to pay wages to eight staff, rent and rates regardless.“It’s a huge blow to businesses,” he said. Adam Maciel, general manager of the Nutbutter at Grand Canal Dock, said trade at the restaurant on Monday had already been affected and he expected the trend to continue. “Lunch is very much affected,” he said, adding that this was a shame given the business had seen a 10 per cent year-on-year growth over the previous month.He said that with the road closures and related disruption, they were “expecting 6 per cent less in sales”. Maciel was hopeful that the restaurant’s location near the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, where shows are continuing to run this week, might provide a boost later in the day. Maciel said Nutbutter usually runs with four staff members, but they intended to reduce the numbers to three for the week that is in it. David Lombard, manager of Kennedy’s on Westland Row, said he was unsure as to how the pub and restaurant might be affected but was feeling “a little bit apprehensive”. A security cordon will be established around the National Gallery of Ireland from 7am on Wednesday, which will include barriers and parking restrictions, in advance of a dinner at the National Gallery of Ireland on Thursday evening after the European Political Community meeting. “We’re not 100 per cent certain on how it’ll affect our deliveries, how it’ll affect customers coming into the city, staff coming into the city,” Lombard said. “Running a business is all about knowing two steps ahead what’s happening, so when you don’t really know what it’ll be like, it just makes it trickier.” He said he does not think the business will hit its usual financial targets this week and has advised his staff against driving into work, as it could be “very problematic” for them. “I say it’ll be very quiet. We rely a lot on Government staff, office staff for lunch trade and as I say, a lot of them won’t be there,” he said. “[There’s] an after-work crowd as well; I don’t think it’ll be around. I could be completely wrong, you know, but ... I think we’d be quiet.”Maria Browne, who works in marketing for the Harbourmaster bar and restaurant on Custom House Dock, a short distance from the convention centre, said it would be “business as usual here” even if the restrictions are “absolutely going to be a pain for us”.“We have taken a few cancellations already, so we will, obviously, take a hit.”The business has been planning ahead, with “a massive big order”, which usually would have been staggered throughout the week, arriving on Monday. The Harbourmaster will be operating with a shortened menu from Wednesday to Friday. [ Dublin road closures: See full list of disruption as EU meetings trigger State’s biggest-ever policing operationOpens in new window ]Dustin Khan, sales and marketing director at Cloud Picker Coffee, which has a shop on Pearse Street, said he was expecting numbers “to be significantly down on Wednesday and Thursday”. The shop is planning to operate its usual opening hours but may elect to close early due to “inactivity”, which would have an impact on the staff’s earnings. He expected the number of customers arriving could be less than half of what they usually are.Epic, the Irish emigration museum, located at Custom House Quay, said it will be open as usual while the road closures are in place. The museum sits outside the red zone, a spokeswoman said. So access to the museum will be “relatively easy for visitors as Connolly Station, two minutes from the museum, is open. We are advising visitors to ensure they have pre-booked tickets and a digital copy of ID and not to bring luggage to the area.”IN THIS SECTION