A lot of businesses are going to re-emerge from the pandemic more agile

Ernest Cantillon says everything has changed but the future is bright

Publican Ernest Cantillon outside his Electric Bar and Restaurant on the South Mall, Cork, where he started a cocktail business online when Covid hit. Picture: Dan Linehan. 

It may be luck or just simply being in the right place at the right time but when Ernest Cantillon bought the old ACC building in Cork City back in 2010 his focus was on opening a nightclub.

Things changed and he established a restaurant instead — an eatery that has stood the test of time and promises something new for customers when it reopens in the coming weeks.

“We decided to put in a restaurant, went into a partnership and here we are,” he told Cork Chamber ‘Business Breakfast Live’ this morning.

“I was lucky; it was a recession and not too many new businesses opened so I had time to build up a relationship with the people around me.

“The building caught people’s imagination as well because a new park had just opened up beside it.

“We also got a lot of corporate business which really helped.” 

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Meanwhile, Ernest is director of Kinsale Spirit Co, Sober Lane & Electric and he says that Covid-19 gave him the opportunity to reimagine his business ethos and make the necessary changes to his business that the pandemic brought with it.

When the pandemic hit in March last year, Ernest closed his business a few days before all bars and restaurants closed in line with restrictions at the time.

He didn’t know how long the business would be closed for at the time but he had enough money to pay his staff for three weeks and whatever happened after that, he would face it then.

“As soon as other businesses started closing I felt some comfort because I knew that the situation would have to be figured out because everybody couldn’t go bust,” he said.

"Then there was talk of supports and that helped.

“Kinsale Spirits was heavily dependent on trade at the time and while we had a good relationship with Supervalu we needed them to take a chance on us and ramp things up — which they did.” 

Opportunity 

Meanwhile, when Ernest did “figure things out” his business took on a whole new dimension.

Take away food was served from Sober Lane and a cocktail business at Electric started online and proved to be very popular with customers.

“Ironically we ended up selling more food through the takeaway option than we did while open, which is strange,” he continued.

“We are now putting in a separate entrance at Sober Lane so that delivery drivers and customers can come and collect their takeaway food when the business reopens.” At Electric he decided to sell cocktail selection boxes at Christmas and they “flew out the door”.

The cocktails, meanwhile, will go on trial in Supervalu stores in just a few weeks time.

“This has become an e-commerce business for us now; if you had said to me before Covid-19 happened that I would sell more food closed than open and I would be selling cocktails online, and that all of that would keep my business afloat, I just wouldn’t have believed them,” added Ernest.

“But that is exactly what happened for us.

“Between the two businesses I was able to keep a core team of about 15 people employed which was great for all of us.

“For me personally it was brilliant; I never really did the whole working from home thing at any great length, and it was good for my mental health to be around my colleagues.

“This also means that when we do reopen, it won’t be as dramatic for us because we have been plodding along, the kitchens have been going, and there has been activity in the buildings.

“And as long as there is demand there we will keep the takeaway food and the cocktails going.” 

New appearance 

Electric has undergone some renovation work over the past 12 months and new floors and toilets have been installed in Sober Lane.

The menu at Electric has also been enhanced with an Asian Food choice now part of the offering.

“So when Electric reopens it is going to look quite different; the restaurant will look different, the fish bar is now a cocktail bar, the outside will be painted, and there will be Asian-style food,” said Ernest.

Kinsale Spirit Company 

The Kinsale Spirit Company was set up in 2015 with a whiskey brought to market initially and that was followed by a speciality gin.

“I had spent 10 years selling other people’s drinks so the idea of selling my own was very appealing,” Ernest continued.

“We started with 100 bottles in Bradley’s Cork shop and it grew from there; we went into Supervalu then and now we are exporting to the 10 states in the US, and China - thanks to the relationships that have developed as a result of Cork being twinned with Shanghai.

“And, since Covid-19 turnover has more than doubled.

“The business has also become involved in cryptocurrency - the idea being that it is a marketplace to buy and sell casks and rare whiskeys.

Hospitality sector/Tourism 

While the Cork businessman acknowledges that businesses have been forced to change the way they do things since the onset of Covid-19, his outlook for the future is very positive.

He envisages “huge changes” as a result of Covid-19 including outdoor dining and in the way in which cities work.

“There will be a lot of streets in Cork that will be reimagined now; we also see the need for public toilets, etc, and we are still figuring things out as we go along.

“Cork Airport has worked on their runway during the pandemic and this was a great idea; we have a great offering in terms of bars, restaurants and hotels for visitors.

“I think the events centre would be a great addition to everything.

“I’m very optimistic about Cork’s future; I think lots of businesses are going to reemerge from the pandemic more agile and this will be particularly positive in terms of ecommerce.”