BUDGET 2025 Part III
- Food Business Coach Tracie
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
Their is light at the end of the tunnel if you choose to see it!
Here are some success stories and inspiring case studies of Irish food businesses that are adapting and thriving post-Budget 2025—with practical takeaways for your own journey:
1. Embracing Technology:
Farina Pizza (Self-Service Kiosks):Daniel Cozzo, owner of Farina Pizza, adopted Flipdish self-service kiosk technology to manage labour costs and reduce queues. This freed staff to focus on kitchen prep and improved customer experience, helping the business stay profitable despite wage increases and staff shortages.
Beanos Coffee Emporium (Fully Self-Service):Facing closure due to rising costs, Beanos Coffee Emporium implemented a Flipdish 15” Kiosk and switched to 100% self-service, bringing the shop “back in the black.” Automation allowed Marcus Wallace to cut labour expenses and keep his shop open.
2. Grants & Energy Investments:
Many businesses successfully applied for Power Up grants of €4,000 for energy improvements—such as upgrading kitchen equipment or installing greener utilities, reducing long-term costs and improving sustainability.
3. Pivoting & Diversification:
Creative Café Pivots: Cafés have branched into evening wine bars, pop-up bakeries, or specialty shops, sometimes even opening as casual evening venues with small plates. Brand collaborations, pop-up residencies, and even partnerships on rent have helped businesses survive by sharing costs and accessing new customer bases.
Food Trucks Leading the Way:The Irish food truck scene has flourished with focused, innovative menus and Instagram-worthy presentations—leaning on artisanal, local ingredients and flexible locations (markets, festivals, pop-ups). This model’s lower fixed costs and more agile operations provide an answer to high urban rents and reduced city footfall. Ruth’s food truck in West Cork is a standout, constantly changing its menu to use the best of seasonal produce.
4. Digital Delivery & Social Media:
Businesses harnessing digital delivery services, apps, and hyper-local marketing are reporting resilience. Innovative food entrepreneurs who invest in strong online ordering and smart, story-driven social media reach have found success despite reduced footfall or rising rents.
5. Collaboration & Cross-Promotion:
From Dublin to Cork, partnerships have helped lower operating costs and drive new revenue—e.g., collaborating with other businesses for pop-up events, masterclasses, and joint marketing campaigns. Sharing space and staff for combined events has become a new best practice.
Key Takeaways to Apply:
Automate where possible: Self-service kiosks and digital tools make a huge difference to labour management.
Think Grant, Think Green: Energy and sustainability grants can bring down long-term costs.
Diversify your offer: Even a simple menu change, pop-up event, or new vertical (wine bar, retail shelf) can open fresh income streams.
Work together: Collaboration with peers or pop-up partnerships reduces costs and broadens audiences.
Get digital, get visible: Online ordering, delivery, and clever social media keep revenue flowing even when foot traffic dips.
Irish food business owners are showing that adaptability, creativity, and a can-do spirit are the keys to not just surviving post-budget challenges, but thriving in a transformed landscape.
THE KEY- get a handle on your business. Get a handle on your numbers. Get a handle on your team (manage expectations, train and upskill heavily), get a handle on your suppliers, get a handle on your customers (drive off-peak, stabilise peak- maximise), get a handle on your mindset (fixed mindset will get left behind, growth mindset will pass you out- you choose by investing in yourself every single day), remove negative arseholes asap (they kill energy, you need as much energy as you can get right now if you want to survive).
Hire a food business coach!!!
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