New gastropub for Cavan
There’s a new name on the gastro-pub scene in Cavan Town. Up to 30 new jobs are to be created when The Duck Inn opens its doors next Thursday (November 18) at the Imperial.
It’s marks an expansion of Gearóid and Tara Lynch’s hugely successful Olde Post Inn in Cloverhill.
Shades Grill, currently based at the Imperial, is moving to a new premises, formerly occupied by The Vault.
The Olde Post Inn team is set to take over the food aspect of the Imperial and “there won’t be a kitchen like it”, laughs Gearóid.
“I’ve always had the idea of doing a casual eatery. The Olde Post is the baby in the whole thing and we oversee the canteen in Combilift too. We’ve done the fine dining, we’ve done the canteen and the only thing we haven’t done is the gastropub.”
While it may be more casual than Gearóid’s more well-known offering locally, standards will still be high and top quality produce will be chosen.
“It has to be exciting and it has to be good food too. We’ll work with the produce that is around Cavan. There’s a lot of great things. It has to be the food that people want to eat but it has to be quality.”
Among the food on offer will be the Fleadh burger, making its return to Cavan after almost 10 years when it was a highlight of the street food scene during the Fleadh Cheoil.
Also planned is a partnership with Butlersbridge butcher Robert Mee who opened his new businesses two weeks ago. He’s planned a new dry-aged beef burger exclusively for The Duck Inn.
Advertisements for staff, including a restaurant manager, chefs of all grades and waiting and kitchen staff were published in recent weeks, with 30 posts overall filled.
The Duck Inn will also see the advent of a new partnership between Gearóid and his team overseeing food and Donal Keogan and his team looking after the drinks aspect.
“Donal will be doing what he does best in looking after the drink and the cocktails and that with help from ourselves in terms of artisan beers and we’ll be giving them a hand with wine.”
The partnership will bring new opportunities for both and Gearóid is confident the investment being made in the businesses will pay off.
“They’ve put some heavy investment into the Imperial over the years and they’re putting heavy investment to bring us in. In the new year we’re closing for two weeks to put in a whole new kitchen. It really is to the next level of cooking. With the investment they’re putting in, there won’t be a kitchen like it outside Dublin,” raves Gearóid, who says he’s up to the challenge of running two eateries in the county.
“It is a challenge but, having said that, 21 years ago I was the first guy to bring a cappuccino machine to town, which is quite mad. But we wouldn’t put our back into this if it wasn’t going to be a success,” insists the multi-award-winning chef.