Pubs will likely be forced to put up their prices to absorb Covid losses and soaring energy bills, the Vintners Federation of Ireland has warned.
The VFI said rising charges from suppliers of utilities, beer and other services would probably mean an increase in the cost of booze for revellers.
Spokesman Brian Foley said the scenario would be “difficult to avoid”.
He told the Irish Mirror: “There is a general increase in the cost of living across the board so it will be difficult for pubs and the wider hospitality sector to avoid such a scenario. Suppliers are increasing their prices while energy costs are soaring.
“The past two years created obvious challenges where pubs were closed or traded with severe restrictions, while staff shortages will continue to be a problem for the remainder of the year and will result in wage increases for experienced staff.
“The good news is that customers recognise that pubs provide a great service with a warm and friendly atmosphere, so it’s great to see people returning to them in large numbers over the past two weeks.”
One Kildare pub said it had been obliged to hike the cost of a pint by between 20c and 50c because of trading difficulties imposed by the pandemic.
Kavanagh’s bar in Naas said Covid brought about many unexpected costs such as transforming outdoor spaces as well as extra staff needed for table service.
Both Guinness and lager increased, with a pint of Guinness going from €5.00 to €5.20 and lager increasing from €5.30 to €5.50 a pint.
“We increased [the price] a little bit since Covid because we did a lot of work with outdoor spaces. We had to increase staff over Covid as well because we had floor service and we obviously weren’t taking in as much,” the pub said.
“Just the general ups and downs - closing, opening, closing - so to cover all that we increased [the price].”
Thousands of people have swarmed to pubs, bars and restaurants in Ireland since Covid restrictions lifted almost two weeks ago on January 22.
The 8pm curfew on the hospitality industry was lifted along with capacity restrictions and the end of the use of the digital Covid pass for pubs and restaurants.
At the end of February, the requirement to wear masks will be lifted, if the Government finds that it is no longer necessary to have them.
