The owner of Oscar’s Café Bar in Smithfield has slammed a customer who used the premises to charge his devices with an extension lead.
Ronan Flood spoke to Newstalk about the incident which occurred on Tuesday afternoon. Oscar’s Café Bar had posted about the encounter on Facebook, which immediately sparked debate about correct etiquette in café settings.
He first noticed that the customer had brought in an extension lead, which had three devices plugged into it, when he left his table to use the bathroom. Ronan eventually asked the customer to unplug the devices, branding the behaviour “an excessive use of electricity.”
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Ronan told listeners: “It was a bit much bringing in the extension lead. It grated on us, particularly as our electricity bill had just come in that morning. We’re spending our days telling our staff to turn lights off in the kitchen. People just need to use common sense in instances like these.”
The customer subsequently left the restaurant after Ronan politely asked him to unplug the extension lead. The incident has prompted widespread discussion online, with people torn on whether the man was in the right to bring his extension lead in.
Ciara, a former hotel worker, agreed with Ronan and argued that the man’s behaviour was wasteful. Another restaurant owner said he would have kept the extension lead as a result of the disrespect shown.
Ciara told Newstalk: “People will come in to hotels across the country every day to use and abuse the facilities and use the electricity. They sometimes host meetings on the premises too, or cold interviews. It’s something that used to aggravate me because you are a business trying to make sales.”
Many business owners like Ronan are facing similar electricity bills this month as a result of inflation. A café owner in Crumlin previously called on the government to provide businesses with financial supports as they head into an uncertain winter.
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