Poets, lovers and footsore shoppers take note - as of Monday, Bewley's Cafe in Grafton Street, Dublin, will be closed for 10 to 12 weeks. When you've recovered from that shock, prepare yourself for another; when the "legendary, lofty clattery cafe" re-opens it may be almost unrecognisable - think multimedia technology, think table reservations, think beer and spirits licence.
The Grafton Street branch of Bewley's, which was first opened in 1927, is not the oldest of the chain (the George's Street cafe takes that title) but it it widely-recognised as the flagship outlet. From debs determined to see in the dawn to pensioners treating the grandchildren, there are few of us who haven't called into Bewley's for a sticky bun, a mug of white coffee or the all-day breakfast at some time.
However, as Patrick Campbell, chairman of the Campbell Bewley Group points out, the services and kitchen facilities in the shop are as old as the memories of the place and badly in need of upgrading. It may be the granddaddy of cafe society in Dublin, but it has been given a serious run for its money by the growing number of trendy, upmarket and very slick coffee houses which have opened in recent years, and arguably needs a re-vamp.
The renovation is being handled by the Duffy Design Group, a Dublin company which specialises in pub and nightclub design such as the Vatican Nightclub in Harcourt Street and the Red Cow Inn on the Naas dual carriageway. The plans to develop Bewley's are too numerous to mention but will, most significantly, include the re-vamp of the cafe's exterior using the original 1927 proposal which had windows stretching from floor to mezzanine level.
Other changes will affect the main body of the cafe, where the central stairwell will be removed and a new mezzanine added, with a flood of light from a second floor atrium. Some changes seem like a good idea - such as the conversion of the rather pokey basement cafe into smart lavatories and baby-changing rooms; others, such as the conversion of the old Museum Cafe into a cyber cafe complete with computer terminals may need to prove their desirability.
But what may be of interest to the foodie and the impoverished student alike will be the changes in service and cuisine. A press release emphasises continuity, but some statements are ominous: "You can still read a newspaper with morning coffee or afternoon tea, although the sheer efficiency at lunchtime is enough to remind you there are others waiting for a table." Needless to say, hogging a whole table with only half a cup of cold coffee in front of you is has always been a primary occupation among regular Bewley's customers, and while, economically speaking, this may be perceived as a bad thing, it is nonetheless one of the cafe's main attractions.
Reforms are to be welcomed, including the return of old-fashioned table service, an extended menu, and the introduction of wine, beers and spirits to the brasserie style restaurant in the evenings. Other changes, such as a telephone booking system for tables in the evening and even a table service system itself, run the risk of destroying the cafe's attraction to those who like to just wander in, grab a plate of egg and chips, pay up front and leave when they wish.
Patrick Campbell is well aware of his role as custodian of one of Ireland's most popular institutions, but he also has the firm facts to hand.
"We discovered that there had been a very gradual but noticeable decline in the numbers of people passing through, which indicated to us that people wanted something different. From a purely commercial point of view, it is very important to Bewley's survival on Grafton Street that it was trading at a viable level and that meant some changes." These included the creation of the brasserie-style restaurant serving dishes such as Dublin coddle, boxty cakes and colcannon as well as casseroles and pasta. However, Campbell points out that Bewley's will have a different role during the day when it will operate as a cafe and not a restaurant - they will not be using their drinks licence during the day, for example.
"I can assure everybody that I will be respecting everything Art Deco and Art Nouveau about the building and I would hope that they'll see very little difference at ground-floor level. The table service means that espressos, speciality teas and coffees and all those things we're known for will be served in the correct way, which is just not possible with self-service. I don't see the changes as detracting from the ambience but adding to it. Trust me!"