With views of Howth harbour, the marina and Ireland's Eye, the setting of the King Sitric restaurant is picturesque to say the least. "Nice morning. We've two boats of sailors in racing this weekend, six of them are staying with us," Aidan McManus tells me, as we sit down at one of the cloth-covered tables. His wife Joan joins us. This has been a family affair from the start.
Aidan’s mother spotted the building in 1971. It was a dank, dreary house but Aidan immediately saw its potential. After spending time in London and Switzerland, Aidan had the experience to present a culinary standard that was rare in 1970s Ireland. “I had been working in La Fregate in Guernsey and decided to model my own restaurant on that.”
Joan has been a backbone of the business since 1980 and, with the opening of the East Cafe Bar downstairs, their sons Declan and Garrett and their nephew Andrew are employed in the business also.
East Cafe Bar
In 2012 Aidan gave up his prized wine cellar bar to make room for the new cafe bar. Declan and his fiancée Sue came up with the idea of the cafe bar and they believed the time was right for a new venture.
“We’ve had to move with the times,” Joan says. Being in business for 45 years, they have seen several peaks and troughs in the economy. They have waded through three recessions, the first in 1979.
“The second recession hit in 1982, when VAT on food was at 25 per cent and dining was disallowed as a business expense. It had a huge impact on eating out,” Aidan says.
“But the current recession, which started in 2007, has been the most noticeable and I had to pump my pension and savings into the business to survive.”
There was a dramatic change in the clientele of the restaurant as business, banks and Government departments modified their entertainment policies. “Private businesses cut back dramatically on their spending and we are only beginning to see the return of this sector,” Joan says.
This recession has changed dining habits too and brought about the democratisation of dining in the past 10 years.
As corporate spend has decreased, the tourist market has become stronger. Visitors now come to Howth all year round rather than just in summer. People go to the King Sitric to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and small wedding parties.
Other changes Aidan and Joan have made to the business include adding eight bedrooms to the building in 2000, which are well booked all year round, and are listed in Ireland’s Blue Book catalogue. To survive as a chef-patron establishment for so long is quite an achievement and their advice for longevity is simple. “You must embrace the lifestyle choice,” Joan says. “You need to enjoy what you do and find food and wine exciting. Standards must be your own and willingness to research new styles and ideas is necessary for survival.”
Maintain control
Aidan and Joan have kept their business small to maintain control and offer a less generic product than is on offer widely in the restaurant sector. It has worked for them and they have taken employees with them on their journey such as Brian, who has been with them for more than 42 years, and Philip, who has been there 36 years.
Howth village has become a foodie town over the years with the huge efforts of Joan and members of Howth Tourism.
“Aidan has been president of the Restaurant Association of Ireland and we are both founding members of the Howth Prawn Festival,” Joan says. “It’s wonderful to see so many restaurants open in Howth now and people come out to enjoy seafood and other specialities.”
