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“It’s the best feeling in the world” What’s it like opening a café in today’s marketplace? With a year under her belt, Clair Dowling of Tiller + Grain spoke to Denise Maguire about the ups and downs of running a business in Dublin’s city centre
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ust over a year ago, ex-surveyor turned chef Clair Dowling opened Tiller + Grain on Dublin’s South Frederick Street. It has, says Clair, been an emotional 12 months. Named Café of the Year by The Irish Times and cropping up in virtually every ‘best of’ list for 2019, it’s fair to say that this lunch spot is doing very well. “We were named ‘Best Café’ bang on the day of our one year anniversary, which coincidentally also gave us our highest turnover. It’s been quite the year, I’m really pleased with it,” said Clair. It has also been a year of lessons learned. Paying high rates of VAT while managing staff wages is a balancing act while the cost of food can also be challenging. “I think people’s knowledge of the price of food can be quite off the mark. I source Irish produce as much as possible, about 80% at the moment. If my supplier comes to me and says it’s x amount for vegetables, that’s fine. For what we do here, I don’t think we’re expensive. I’m really concerned about the way we’re treating our farmers in this country and worry that in 10 years’ time, we’re not going to have our agricultural sector.” The lack of support for farmers is, says Clair, disheartening. “They protest quite a lot near Tiller + Grain. Sometimes it affects us and sometimes it doesn’t, but we have no problem with it. People don’t seem to understand the challenges facing farmers today. If we continue to support the supermarkets and the bastardising and cheapening of food, it’s going to become a real concern.”
For the first six months, Clair was in the kitchen full-time. “Then I came out front of house, which is a whole new skill to learn. For me, being able to step inside the kitchen with a very clear idea of what I wanted to do meant I could safeguard the whole process.” Legislation relating to calorie counts on menus is unfeasible, says Clair. “It’s actually bollocks. People aren’t idiots; if you’re eating a fried chicken burger, you know that you’re not eating the healthiest thing in the world. For a business of my size, I couldn’t even begin to afford calorie counts on my menu. We’re very fluid here so when my supplier rings me and says the price of broccoli went skyhigh because of the rain so I chose not to buy it, my menu changes. Every time that happens I’m not going to have the time, money or energy to redo it.” Mandatory calorie counts are just another strike against people like us, says Clair. “It feels like another punishment. I don’t have a machine behind me, it’s just me trying to pay my bills and my staff. Food in Dublin is booming and the cynic in me believes people have seen an opportunity to make money out of it.” Faith in the café has stood to Clair and helped get her through the passing of her father. “From the start, I’ve had good people around me. That and the vision I had for the place are what kept me going this year and through the death of my Dad.” This year and beyond is all about increasing profits and expanding the business. “I feel comfortable enough to step away from it a bit, I’ve got people I trust. The cooking classes are very popular so I’d like to expand on those and capitalise on the good press we’ve gotten. There was negativity around the idea of opening a café in Dublin but I stuck with it and have absolutely no regrets. When it’s working, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
ISSUE 2 2020 | HOTEL
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CATERING REVIEW
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02/03/2020 11:21
