Mourne Seafood bar axes weekday lunches for winter months
Mourne Seafood Bar has announced it will cease lunchtime trading on weekdays.
The popular Belfast venue announced the move via their X account, blaming trading conditions in the city centre for the cutback.
“Due to current trading conditions in the city centre we will no longer be open for midweek lunches,” they said.
Responding to a number of customers voicing their disappointment under the post, the company said they hoped to return to their normal working hours in the spring.
“There are (fewer) people in offices, it is off season for tourists. Normally we could have soaked it up but margins are so thin at the moment that we are better off closing for lunch,” they added.
“The spend is much lower than at night time. Hospitality is being taxed out of existence. Part of the problem is there are no votes at play in the city centre.”
Last summer, the restaurant’s outdoor seating area was closed after a number of tables were destroyed in an arson attack.
Picnic tables were burned and debris scattered across the ground outside the premises on Bank Street following the attack.
The restaurant is part of a group that includes Belfast Cookery School, Home Restaurant on Wellington Place and La Taqueria.
