It's that time of year again when the debate surrounding the selling of alcohol on Good Friday rears it's sober head. All indications suggest that the law will have changed in time for Easter 2016, and so this time next year, we can legally start the Easter Rising centenary weekend with a few scoops on Friday night. So far, so what, you might think. However, aside from the larger debate about our relationship with alcohol in this country, this change will have a positive impact on many small businesses across Ireland.
During my time in the restaurant business, having to close on Good Friday always irked me. Friday was generally our busiest day of the week anyway, but the loss of business was magnified by the upsurge in demand for Easter weekend. Having to explain to baffled tourists that they could not book a table with us because of the law, was a frustratingly regular and tiresome task.
The argument that it's only one day per year, and therefore surely shouldn't make too much difference to anyone, sounds perfectly logical from the outside. The reality however, is that many small businesses operate on very tight reserves, and a bumper Friday could represent up to 30% of their weekly revenue. If it happened to be "Good Monday" and didn't fall on one of the busiest weekends of the year, the lobby for change may not have been so vociferous.
There has also been a lack of clarity surrounding the exact interpretation of the law, and if nothing else, the proposed changes will at least bring some certainty to the numerous grey ares which currently exist. For example, just this morning I received an email offer from a restaurant advertising lunch on Good Friday, BYO with no corkage. I wrote to my local licencing sergeant a few years ago inquiring about this very issue, and received an unequivocal response that it was not allowed under any circumstances.
I know of another restaurant who gave out free glasses of wine last year, assuming they were acting within the law by not charging for them. An Garda Siochana's letter to me stated clearly that no alcohol could be displayed on shelves or tables, even if unopened. Ask ten restaurateurs for their interpretation, and you'll most likely get at least seven different opinions.
So there you have it folks...from next year we'll no longer see queues at the off licence on holy Thursday. There'll be no more secret knocks on the back window of the local, or pretending to be a resident in the hotel up the road, just to get a drink in the bar! Joking aside, there clearly is a debate to be had about our national attitude to alcohol, but that's for another day and a different forum.
For now however, I'm hoping good sense will prevail and that small businesses will get a much needed fillip from the change in 2016.