Restaurants and cafes in Cork city are taking their ‘Eat on the Street’ experience into the winter.

Fourteen streets in the city have been pedestrianised in the weeks and months since lockdown was lifted and businesses have hailed the project a “huge success.”

Now, Cork City Council is offering grants of up to €2,000 to help businesses install outdoor heating and temporary coverings to keep the al fresco dining experience going as the weather changes.

Prince’s Street in Cork city. Image: Anti-ShoeMovement/Twitter

Last night, Newstalk reporter Barry Whyte took a stroll down Prince’s Street in the city to see how things have been going.

Clair Nash, owner of Nash 19 restaurant and food shop said the initiative has been hugely successful because every shop on the street got involved.

“The Eat on the Street concept was something we had stumbled upon a long while ago,” she said.

“To get all the traders that had eateries and bars and whatever else; that we would all communally have a one-thought process about bringing our clients and our customers out on to the street.

“This street was very down during lockdown. As you know, there was no-one on the street. So, the reason it is working is because we got buy-in from every single trader on the street.”

Nash 19 on Prince’s Street in cork. Image: Facebook

She said business owners are working together to make sure the street will be fully winter-proof before the chill sets in.

“We will have hiding from the rain and hiding from the wind,” she said.

“We looked at five or six different propositions to actually cover the street. We don’t want to block light and we don’t want to block air because that is half the fun and the eclectic mix of what is on the street.

“So, our footpaths will still be for pedestrians but when you sit down under our new 40-metre space and our 30-metre space, you will be able to sit very comfortably.

“We are going to have heating and light; the rain will funnel down through rain socks. You won’t be standing, ducking under little small pagodas or standing under little umbrellas which you are now.”

Clancy’s Bar in Cork. Image: Facebook

Paul Montgomery from Clancy’s Bar on the street said business owners worked closely with the council on the project.

“We are now in the process of installing a semi-permanent structure that we will have here for the coming years that will effectively cover the whole street here in a high-class parasol-type umbrella that we can dismantle if we need to in case of emergencies,” he said.

“It will give the street full cover during the winter and we will have heating and a lot of good lighting inside there.

“That is what is going to make this work because people won’t sit out in the freezing cold or the rain.”

Eat on the street

Meanwhile, David Joyce Director of Services Cork City Council told Barry that the project worked “extremely well during the summer” and grants are now available to keep things going through the winter.

“It was extremely popular, people loved the al fresco dining experience and we understood that going forward this needed to be replicated and continued during the winter so we are making a grant available of up to €2,000 per premises to winter proof their outdoor seating,” he said.

“That will involve potentially the erection of things like parasols, maybe heaters, maybe lighting to try and encourage and continue with the very, very successful experiences we have been having with the on-street dining across the city.”

Al Fresco

But will the punters keep coming back as the weather changes? These people told Barry that the al fresco dining has been a “fantastic experience.”

“We are still based in the office and we are in an out sporadically,” said one.

“It has enabled us to go out for lunch. It has enabled us to meet clients to meet friends and continue to sit out every day and it has been a very pleasurable experience.”