'It was always an important place for us:' Spitjack owners take over Cork cafe 

Owners Richard Gavin and Laura Sureda first opened The Spitjack Rotisserie Brasserie on Washington Street in 2017 after years of working in high-end hospitality

Richard Gavin, Laura Sureda, and John O’Mahony will take over the former Natural Foods Bakery in Fitzgerald Park. Photo Joleen Cronin.

The Munster restaurateurs behind The Spitjack are continuing to expand their operations, taking over the former Natural Foods Bakery premises in Cork City’s Fitzgerald’s Park.

The coffee shop chain, which had occupied the popular spot since 2015, vacated the high-profile unit in January this year, which adjoins Cork Public Museum and overlooks the River Lee.

Now, the business partners behind the Spitjack and Brown's Brasserie will take over the site to open Tria, marking the group's first cafe venture.

Richard Gavin and Laura Sureda opened The Spitjack Rotisserie Brasserie on Washington Street in 2017, after years of working in high-end hospitality. Three years later, the pair opened a second Spitjack restaurant in Limerick, on Bedford Row.

The pair also operates Brown Brasserie with business partner John O'Mahony, which, since opening in Brown Thomas Cork in 2023, has expanded to Brown Thomas stores in both Dublin and Limerick. 

Speaking on the group's latest venture, Mr Gavin said: "It's a new one for us, but we're very excited." 

The couple will also once again team up with Mr O'Mahony, who is the Brown Thomas Restaurant's executive head chef. 

Speaking to the Irish Examiner,Mr Gavin said taking on the site was an easy decision given its sentimental importance for him and his wife.

"We used to live very close to Fitzgerald's Park and the cafe was a very important amenity for us. We'd always take our kids and our dogs there. It was always a great place and we frequented it quite a lot.

"I always thought the place had a lot of potential, but was maybe not always fully utilised."

'Completely different'

The Natural Foods Bakery closed at Fitzgerald's Park, Cork in January. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Mr Gavin said the new spot will be "completely new and different" from their existing business's, with the new cafe having all-day offerings and similar opening times to the park. 

In addition, Mr Gavin said the cafe will increase seat capacity, with menu items including sandwiches, overnight oats, acai bowls, pancakes and grab-and-go offerings.

The cafe will employ up to 15 people and is set to open by the first week of July, Mr Gavin said. 

Despite their continued success, Mr Gavin said the hospitality sector has become increasingly challenging, which has delayed their original expansion plans for their flagship restaurant.

"The Spitjack has kept a third location in the pipeline, but ongoing cost challenges has slowed down our potential to grow.

"We've tried to diversify our growth strategy to offset this, with us now moving to a different opportunity and a new market."

"We're continuing to see costs rise with no change yet in VAT, so we're trying to move to offerings that are more affordable," Mr Gavin added. 

"But that said, we remain optimistic and looking forward to bringing this latest venture of ours to life."