Reinvention holds the key to survival- particularly for established business
Bernie Ní Fhlartharta, The Connacht Tribune - May 20th 2011
BUSINESS people who survive recessions are usually those who are willing to reinvent themselves or diversify. Kevin and Ann Dunne of The White Gables restaurant in Moycullen are a great example You could say that the Dunnes have the midas touch.
When they opened their topend restaurant in the then sleepy village of Moycullen, eight miles outside Galway City, their friends thought they were mad. But 20 years on they have proved that hard work and a passion for quality pays off.
Fifteen years ago they decided to extend the restaurant and develop what used to be a ball alley next door. Today, that development is home to Enjoy, their deli and cafe, which has been a roaring success since it first opened its doors a year ago. The decision to open th edeli was one that the couple had for years - in fact Kevin had always wanted to open a bakery.
They decided to expand this in response to the way their restaurant business had been affected by the recession .Ann says that it was obvious that people were no longer splashing out, especially midweek, on eating out, well not in top end restaurants anyway, and that the Dunnes had to do something if they were to survive the lean years.
Strangely enough, the deli, which was opened first two years ago took off in such away, it even surprised Ann and Kevin. Their home-made breads and pastries fly out the door and are the mainstay of the shop, which also sells wines as well as other staple deli produce.
It made sense to open a cafe next door and again the midas touch has come into affect - it’s constantly busy, something which keeps the Dunnes busy midweek when the 40 seater restaurant is quieter. “Naturally we have responded to the recession and are offering midweek specials in the restaurant but thankfully we are still busy at weekends.“Moycullen is great. The local business community welcomed us from day one and I remember that nearly all of them came in for a meal the first night we opened,” Ann recalls.
Kevin, a Dubliner met Ann, a Kerry woman, when they were both working in Parknasilla. They moved to Galway when Kevin got a job in the Great Southern Hotel and while out on a Sunday drive one day, Ann spotted the house in Moycullen village for sale and said “that’s our restaurant.” “The house was for sale but I visualised the white walls, the red windows and the window boxes. It was bought on a wing and a prayer and everyone thought we were mad.”
Ann is full of beans and admits that she thrives on being busy. She couldn’t lie low during a recession hoping for an upturn. And it looks like she is already proving that she was right to be proactive and diversify within the business.In fact, both Kevin and Ann admit that the deli and more recently the cafe has engaged them even more with the local community. Enjoy has just started winetasting evenings and what she calls ‘neighbourhood nights’in the Gables on Wednesdaysand Thursdays, all ways toattract customers.“I like to think that the cafehas brought the heart backinto the village. It’s become agreat meeting place,” says Ann who has always enjoyed her front of house role
Kevin, who enjoys a bit of golf to relax, has no doubt that times will get better but in the meantime he and Ann have taken what measures they need to safeguard their business. It’s certainly an example to others in business whose day to day custom has been affected by the recession.
