One of Donegal’s most popular takeaways has closed in a bid to stop customers visiting from other counties.
The owners of the Killybegs Seafood Shack have taken the decision to shut up shop after hearing that people were breaking travel restrictions to eat at the roadside takeaway.
Customers were coming from as far as Tipperary and Monaghan in the past week, co-owner Mairead Anderson told Donegal Daily. Current Level 3 restrictions nationwide are intended to limit travel between counties.
Chef Mairead took to social media to announce the immediate closure today: “While I welcome people so wholeheartedly to the town normally. We can’t take this risk right now as being a reason people come to town. I just implore everyone to stop travelling right now while we try and contain this virus,” she said.
She confirmed that the decision to close was taken quickly due to staff reporting “a few” customers from outside Donegal and in light of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the South Donegal region.
“We had people from Tipperary in our local shop looking for the Shack too,” Mairead said.
The Killybegs Seafood Shack had a strong summer operating as an outdoor takeaway. Owners Mairead and Garry Anderson opened The Boathouse, a new sit-down restaurant in December last year, and between both businesses they employ 25 staff. Takeaways are set to resume at the Boathouse in the coming weeks. But for now, Mairead said that staff will be temporarily out of work to minimise risks in the town.
“A lot of people are out of jobs but I can’t take the risk of it all right now. Hopefully we can all open safely for Christmas,” Mairead said.
