Profits at one of the country’s best-known pubs, Johnnie Fox’s, last year increased more than fivefold to €631,213.
Accounts filed by Fox’s Pub Ltd show that the profits of €631,213 in the 12 months to the end of March last followed profits of €110,211 in the previous year.
Kaitlin McMahon, business manager at Johnnie Fox’s pub and restaurant, said: “Post Covid, customers expected more from our industry, looking for experiences, looking for more than just quick food and a fresh pint, and Johnnie Fox’s has always ‘raised the bar’.”
On the sharp rise in profits last year at the pub at Glencullen in the Dublin mountains, Ms McMahon said: “Of course, footfall numbers were larger but in particular ‘day two’ weddings were a big hit, along with a lot of winter and summer corporate events.”
Ms McMahon said that “the entire venue was exclusively booked by three different multinationals throughout the year”.
The pub and restaurant is a substantial employer in the local area.
Ms McMahon confirmed that the business has 147 staff plus 30 musicians and 17 Irish dancers.
The venue stages about 270 shows each year and Irish dancers are rotated in each show.
“The music is seven nights a week and all day Saturday and Sunday, so those who can give full hours to our roster are on it.”
Ms McMahon said that a lot of those employed at the venue are local “and we are proud to say we have 14 Ukrainian staff working for us and have provided accommodation for them”.
“While we have continued with the same level of business, the ever increasing price hikes by our suppliers is a huge difficulty that all of our industry is facing,” she said.
Accumulated profits at the company at the end of last March totalled €1.62 million
The company’s cash pile more than doubled from €420,051 to €953,552.
The value of the company’s property, plant and equipment increased to €2.825 million.
The profit last year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €99,011.
