JP McMahon and Drigin Gaffey announce closure of Tartare

GALWAY: JP McMahon, a leading Irish chef that has helped to place Ireland on the global culinary map with his restaurant Aniar and one of the best food events in the world Food on the Edge has announced the closure of Tartare after five years.

In a press statement, JP said running three restaurants has been very difficult since COVID-19. He said he particularly found the shortage of good quality chefs very challenging. “Energy and labour costs have spiralled in 2022 and the sustainability of our business is challenging. With having the other two restaurants, running Food on the Edge, alongside other commitments, I felt we had to consolidate and focus on the bigger picture,” he said.

“It is with sadness that we announce that we will be closing our beautiful Tartare on 4 September,” JP McMahon said.

“We are very proud of what we achieved over the past 5 years. We want to thank our customers and particularly our loyal regulars. And most importantly we want to thank our staff over the past 5 years who each added their unique style to the place. Thank you for your passion, talent and dedication,” he said on social media.

The café and wine bar, Tartare, on Dominick Street in Galway had a Michelin Bib Gourmand and was a hub of social connections. It was a promoter of local arts communities organising the Theatre Talks and Wine and Design series.

Drigin Gaffey said Tartare was a passion project. “We are proud of what we achieved in 5 years. I will particularly miss the cultural events we ran there. Of course it is always sad when a business closes but we have other passions we want to focus on. I am happy that we have been able to integrate the Tartare staff into our other restaurants,”

Alongside running Cava Bodega and Food on the Edge, JP will be focusing on creating new experiences in Aniar and building on his new consultancy services, while Drigin will continue to develop her life coaching business and manage the operations and finance functions of Cava Bodega.

Tartare will close on Dominick Street, Galway on September 4th.

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