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AN INTERIM EXAMINER has been appointed to a group of companies that operate the well-known Dublin restaurant Dobbins, and the Becketts Hotel and restaurant in Leixlip.
The businesses employ some 60 people. The companies sought the protection of the court due to cash flow difficulties caused by loss of business contracts and historic bank debts.
While both the St Stephen’s Lane, Dublin-based restaurant and the 10-bedroom hotel and restaurant have a good reputation and a loyal customer base, the fact the companies assets were acquired during the height of the Celtic Tiger boom has left the group with a high level of debt.
At the High Court today, Justice Brian McGovern appointed insolvency practitioner Kieran Wallace of KPMG as interim examiner of four related companies – Dobbins Wine Bistro, Dobbins Holding Company, Camrue Holding Company and Camrue Catering.
The judge said he was satisfied to appoint the examiner after an independent report said the companies have a reasonable prospect of survival if certain steps are carried out, including the approval by the High Court of a scheme of arrangement with the group’s creditors.
As part of that scheme, the companies hope to restructure their bank debts, pay a dividend to creditors, secure new investment and enter into an open-market lease for the group’s premises.
The main creditors include the Revenue Commissioners and KBC Bank.
Peak prices
Seeking the appointment of an examiner, Ross Gorman, for the company, said its directors had been the restaurant manager and head chef at Dobbins. In 2005 they acquired the businesses, when property prices were at their peak.
They acquired loans from KBC of more than €3.2 million to buy the group and to carry out extensive works.
Turnover in the businesses increased in 2006 and 2007 but dropped due to the financial crisis in 2008, and dropped year on year to 2013, putting significant cashflow pressures on the group.
The group has been unable to pay back what is due to KBC and has not always been able to honour installment arrangements it had entered into with Revenue.
The loss of contracts to two other firms within the group, Cypress Catering and Cypress Events, which were liquidated in 2015, also have contributed to its financial difficulties.
These companies had provided catering services at several greyhound tracks and Punchestown Racecourse, as well as to events at Dublin Castle and Farmleigh House.
They had been responsible for serving guests including President Bill Clinton and Prince Charles. However after losing the contracts to provide catering at the greyhound tracks the group was unable to fulfill its obligations to Punchestown.
Counsel said while the companies’ turnovers have stabilised, the directors say the firms can continue to trade profitably into the future once they can resolve their debt legacy issues.
Written by Aodhan O Faolain and posted on Fora.ie
I wonder what the rent for one week is on the shop on Grafton St. No trade for a week made their negligence in hygiene a very expensive mistake, not to mention the bad press of having dead rats on food making premises is going to cost them.
It was one day.
@Scott Kincaid: spoilsport. Don’t let facts get in the way of a good moan!
@oDevilsavocado:
@Devilsavocado: .theres a rat in the kitchen what you going to do?obviously catch it in a trap moron
All deli’s and restaurant should have the same high standard kitchen,
Set out the criteria
High standard easy to clean flooring
All identical
Same sinks
Fat separators
Waste pipes, 50mm / 100mm
Same standard fridges cooling rooms.
Counter tops,
All on castors for easy removal.
To many Dirty old backstreet Kip’s around.
The restaurants on Moore St. never look clean.
So he was brown bread then
Stella-a-a-a!!!!
Clean up the rodent droppings!
I don’t know of any other State organisation that publicises their findings. Perhaps fire inspectors could do same.
@John Flood: HIQA.
Fire alerts Ireland
@John Flood: I think that’s a great idea.
If there was an official website for such alerts, it would help. We could check it & get alerts for our areas. Or nationally.
A few years ago I spotted a newspaper alert recalling faulty immersion timers. My sister’s place had the same one. Pure chance that I saw it and told others. That company ran ads and replaced them with safe ones on request, free of charge. Fair enough, if you knew to ring up and request one. But there was no coordination.
I let our management company know of the issue. Two of my neighbours had already had fires starting in the hot press.
All places built during the boom, bought off the plans & signed off. All with the same batch of immersion timers. Some will still have them.
This is a list I find interesting whenever it comes out. Sad I know. Living in Waterford I do not recall seeing an incident occurring in Waterford. Whilst I am sure the establishments in Waterford are clean, I sometimes wonder how thorough the inspections are by the officers in the area
Do the Gardai think it was murder, want to be investigating that?
Has the journal blamed Boris yet, or indeed president Trump???
@John: The Journal generally doesn’t tend to blame Boris or Trump, that would be some.of the commentators here. You should be grateful, if people didn’t make those comments and you didn’t have to constantly defend them then what you spend all your spare time doing?
What’s the problem? He was dead.
@Chris Folliard: how did he get in? Are they more of them? why wasn’t the dead rat removed?
@Jim Buckley Barrett: :Through the door
:Possibly : Couldn’t remove himself because he is dead.
@Chris Folliard: Traps are supposed to be checked daily. You sure it was the door? Wasn’t a hole somewhere? Maybe there’s a nest of them on the property. maybe repairs are needed to bring the place up to standards.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: they were waiting for the postmortem
@Chris Folliard: Depends on how much per kg they were charging!
@Jim Buckley Barrett: maybe the Pied Piper was staying there ?
@Jim Buckley Barrett: answer to your question is probably an open door or window,that not rocket science is it. Are there more off them?100%yes..keep your windows and doors closed. Oh and always check the toilet before you sit down because they can swim. Ie theres a rat in every kitchen, you just don’t see them Jim.
@FlopFlipU: I can picture the little white tent over the body, and tiny people in white coats and masks going in and out…
Trying to think of a joke in relation to the apple green rat.
T’sangs off my list now .
@Ciaran105: flames in clonee is better
@Declan Holden: it sure is , had a nice meal a couple of weeks ago. Certainly going back . Tnx
Is that where the Dáil rat ended up?
@Ian Heaton / Eoin De Héadún: the dail rat published the budget yesterday
I love coming to the comment section to read all the expert opinions…
Yes Name and Shame if ye had the same laws for litter lots our country would be A Lot Cleaner
@pat seery: Maybe all citizens in their various capacities should be tagged in some way and named and shamed when they break the rules. Big Brother here we come.
Must have sampled the chicken fillets
If trap one was occupied by rat one, where did rat 2, 3 and others reside. Did the wait in quay for trap one to become evacuated?
At least the rat was dead I suppose?
@Madra: maybe it died because it ate the food….
Glad I have never set foot in any of these places
At lease the rat was dead I suppose?
Watt heaf hookin’ die of??!!
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