Another fine local business has been faced with an agonising decision
The owner of a well-known rural bar in Co Tyrone says he has had to shut down its food offering and could close completely due to rising costs.
Following on from the impact of Covid 19 and now the cost of living crisis, Patrick says his electric bill is four times bigger than it was when he first took over the business.Now he has made the decision to close the chippy, leaving the village with no takeaway food options to choose from. He told Belfast Live the impact of the cost of living crisis has had a worse impact on the hospitality industry than the pandemic.
“Even bars now, particularly rural bars aren’t doing that great. People are at home and their own costs are going up so they don’t have money to spend themselves, it’s like a vicious circle.Patrick added he believes the cost of living crisis is disproportionately affecting small businesses, and said he is worried for the future of the pub if costs continue to rise.“I feel really bad because we would know all of our customers, there’s not one that would come in and you wouldn’t have a chat with.
“There will be a lot of people disappointed I’m sure, and then there’s the staff as well because we know them all really well.