The owner of a top Dublin restaurant has been praised for his decision to give his staff time off on Christmas Eve.
Gaz Smith runs Michael’s, a popular seafood restaurant with several locations, including Mount Merrion and Sutton. He took to Twitter to confirm that his businesses would close on Christmas Eve as his staff were in need of “a nice lengthy break.”
He made a similar announcement last year on social media, confirming that his restaurants would close for one week following December 23. This decision was also made with his staff’s wellbeing in mind.
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Gaz wrote on Twitter yesterday: “Our teams have worked their a*ses off all year, have been tough as nails and gone to war for us. We can’t harp on about work life balance and not be true to our word. We’re closing ALL places on Christmas Eve.”
He then went on to apologise to customers hoping to dine at Michael’s on December 24, but added that staff welfare came first. Gaz did not confirm on Twitter whether the business would be closed for any additional days over the festive period.
People were quick to applaud the message, pointing out that such gestures should be widespread across the hospitality sector. Many agreed that restaurant staff shouldn’t have to miss out on Christmas celebrations due to their work schedule.
One person wrote: “All hospitality should do the same or at least after lunch on Christmas Eve. All workers deserve to be with their families om Christmas Eve.”
A hospitality worker in the comments section praised the announcement, writing: “I’d love to see more places do this. Always awful having to work Xmas eve and then straight back at it Stephen’s Day or 27th if you’re lucky. People miss out on so much.”
The kind gesture arrives at a grim time for the sector, as inflation continues to put pressure on the industry. Several Dublin businesses have announced they are closing permanently over the past few weeks, including popular city centre restaurant Winedown.
What are your thoughts on the restaurant’s announcement? Do you think that hospitality workers should be entitled to time off work over the busy Christmas break? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
