Carlow council seeks applications from caterers to operate new café at historic estate

Carlow County Council is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified companies or individuals to operate a new café at a historic estate. 

Qualified and experienced people in catering are invited to apply for the unique opportunity to operate the café at Ducketts Grove Historic House and Walled Gardens. 

This proposed new facility will play a vital role as part of the tourism product offering.

Ducketts Grove is a spectacular ruin in the countryside, situated east of Carlow Town. Once a grand mansion, Duckett’s Grove Historic House and Walled Gardens is now one of the key visitor attractions in County Carlow (approx. 52,000 visitors in 2022) and forms part of Ireland’s Ancient East trail. 

It is situated 10km east of Carlow Town and is within a 10-minute drive of Exit 4 on the M9 Dublin/Waterford route.

Once the centre of a vast Estate that covered some 20,000 acres, Duckett’s Grove was home to the Duckett family in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1933, the interior of the mansion was sadly destroyed by a fire. Even in ruin, the surviving towers and turrets of Duckett’s Grove form a romantic profile, making it one of the most photogenic historic buildings in the country. This part Cobden designed building is structurally intact and accessible to the public. 

Guided tours of the site are provided each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from March 24th – October 29th 2023 at 2pm and 4 pm, with times outside the foregoing also available by appointment. 

Duckett’s Grove also benefits from a series of audio tours covering key aspects of the site’s heritage and cultural and social history, which are available on a daily basis. Guided tours and audio tours are free of charge to the public. Audio tours and interpretative mapboards and signage have been funded by Fáilte Ireland. 

The grounds also include a woodland playground, craft units in the courtyard area, a large car and coach park, and toilets. 

Catering and Submission Requirements:

The proposed refurbished building will provide 97.7msq at ground floor and 57.1msq at first floor with space for seating outside in the Courtyard. Expressions of Interest will be assessed on the listed requirements and experience.

Submissions should include details of: 

Requirements (scored component, provide an answer for each point):
• The proposal should give detailed information on the type of café offering proposed, to
include food, beverages, light snacks/lunches and cakes
• Proposed opening days and hours - at a minimum, the café must operate during peak periods
March – October, 7 days a week
• Proposed pricing structure (food, soft drinks and hot beverages)
• Proposed staffing and management structure
• Proposed marketing and publicity strategy
• Provide knowledge of, and commitment to, compliance with all health and safety and legal
standards and operational procedures of a catering business
• Proposal for dealing with waste disposal and cleaning requirements of both the café and
adjacent toilet facilities.
Experience (scored component, provide an answer for each point):
The operator must have relevant business experience and must show evidence in their
submission of:
• Previous and current operations in the catering business
• Training in catering or hospitality management
• Experience in merchandising and marketing
Additional Information to be supplied (not scored):
• Names and contact details for two references, one being a most recent employer or
leaseholder.
The successful operator will be responsible for water, electricity, heating, rates,broadband and
waste collection charges.
All prospective operators, prior to commencement of operation, must supply;
• Evidence of Employers Liability Insurance €13.5m
• Evidence of Public Liability Insurance €6.5m
• Food Hygiene Certificate
• Health & Safety Policy

Security

Security arrangements will be a matter for the successful operator and the operator will be required to ensure that cash and any other items of value are removed from the premises on a daily basis. Carlow County Council will have no liability for any loss or damage to the successful operator’s property or for property for which the successful operator is responsible for or for any consequential loss of earnings that may arise due to loss or damage.

Freedom of Information Requests

It should be noted by applicants that, under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, persons may apply to Carlow County Council for access to information that is held by the Local Authority and not otherwise publicly available. It is also noted that elements of your application may or may not be considered commercially sensitive, depending on the nature of the information request. 

Confidentiality

Interested parties are requested to treat all information which may be gained during this process in the utmost confidentiality and not disclose any such information to any person or company not directly involved in this process. In addition, applications will be held in confidence by Carlow County Council and will be dealt with in accordance with Carlow County Council’s Data Protection Policy.

The privacy notice for Carlow County Council can be found at https://www.carlowcoco.ie/en/privacy/

How to apply:

Applications should be returned by email to econnors@carlowcoco.ie with Expression of Interest: Ducketts Grove Café in the subject title, no later than 4pm on Friday, 10th March, 2023.

Late applications will not be considered.