Covid-19 pandemic changed us for the better - Dromineer restaurateur
Has the Covid pandemic and its consequent lockdowns on traditional everyday living changed us for the better?
Well, one man who thinks it may have is Joe Ryan, proprietor of The Whiskey Still bar and restaurant in Dromineer who took it upon himself to contact The Guardian to say that he was amazed by the laid back and gracious attitude of crowds who flocked to the lovely lakeside village last weekend to enjoy Lough Derg and bask in the glorious weather.
Indeed, as North Tipperary like the rest of the country returns to something resembling normality after the confines of the pandemic, businesses in villages along the lake reported good trade, thanks to the excellent weekend weather that brought the crowds lakeside.
“It was spectacular to say the least,” enthused Joe. “Business-wise it was great and the weather was so good.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen people as friendly and as grateful to be out and about. I couldn’t be any more positive about how people were in relation to even waiting in our queues to be served. There wasn’t an ounce of misery and Dromineer was chock-a-block.”
Mr Ryan added: “We did not have one wrong incident for the past week or all last weekend. The vibe from people is just very positive and a really happy atmosphere has pervaded the place.
“People just seem delighted to be out, and they seem to have a different mindset.
“The generosity of people visiting our premises has heightened with customers giving staff tips, even if they are only having a drink or two.
“There seems to be an acknowledgement and realisation by people who are saying to themselves, ‘hey, we’re out enjoying ourselves, and we’re delighted to be out because it’s been so long and this crowd here [restaurant and bar staff] are working hard and let’s look after them.’
“It’s just that people’s attitudes have definitely changed. Their patience was fantastic over the weekend and we had queues of people waiting for tables, yet everything was calm, whereas before the pandemic everything had to be done at speed.”
Joe concluded: “There’s a huge mindset change; how long it will last I don’t know, but it is definitely there and people really treated our staff, particularly our trainee staff, really well. Nobody was being put under pressure.”