People who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis are being offered free grub at a restaurant in Cork, which has put discrete arrangements in place allowing customers to pre-pay for meals that can be served to some of the most vulnerable people in society.
O’Connor's Café and Seafood Restaurant in Bantry started the service on Sunday and said 15 meals were paid for by patrons within the first day, not including others bought by generous staff.
The restaurant allows people to pre-pay for a meal and, when someone who is struggling comes to the restaurant, they can simply take a card for a free breakfast or lunch and pass it discreetly to a member of staff to avail of the free food.
Speaking to Cork Beo, owner Shane Spillane said his wife came up with the idea when they were going through their own finances and realising how tough things had become.
“We were going through some of our stuff and could see that things were a lot tighter. My wife said that if things were bad for us, then they must be a lot worse for plenty of other people.
“The sign only went up yesterday [Sunday] and we've already had 15 meals paid for by the Bantry community, and that’s not including ones already paid for by café staff.
“Things are tough at the moment, so it's just a little thing available for the people who need it,” he said.
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The team at O’Connor's promise that the service is completely discrete and isn’t just for people battling homelessness – it’s for anyone feeling the pinch or having to make difficult choices during the cost-of-living crisis.
“We have food available for breakfast and lunch, things like full Irish fries. It’s very under the radar, nobody will be any wiser if you want to make use of it,” explained Shane.
“It’s not a publicity stunt at all, and the poster outside will be staying up for the foreseeable future.”
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