Donegal hotelier Noel Cunningham explains why you shouldn't wear a hoodie to dinner

Donegal TV personality and hotelier Noel Cunningham has spoken out after Gordon Ramsay has caused a mixed reaction on social media as he sends a message to diners regarding the dress code at his resturaunts.

“We would like all of our guests to feel free to express their own individual style however, we do ask guests to avoid shorts, tracksuits and hoodies. Smart trainers are fine. We know lots of our guests like to dress smartly which we appreciate! Ultimately we want every guest to feel at home.”

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Noel said: "I salute the man from a far. I think it is about time that people such as Gordon Ramsay and us as an industry start reminding people that when you go into a resturaunt that there are people there celebrating various things and we owe them the respect by being appropriately attired. 

"I think standards and not just in resturaunts has deteriorated. Now people feel we can wear what we like, we can behave how we like and manners doesn't matter. Dressing in trainers is unacceptable and it looks bad. It can lead to staff wanting to dress inappropriately because their guests do. If I go into my local village today and I pop in for a coffee I don't want to see people disrespecting that space also. Of course it is acceptable to wear a hoodie and jeans there."

As an ambassador for Harvey's Point Hotel in Donegal and speaking on whether or not he ever had to turn guests away at an establishment, Noel said: "Thankfully for us people know what the expectation is. Sometimes people think it is okay to come down in their dressing gown for breakfast and we have to politely ask them to go back to their suite to get dressed. Everything is customer driven and Gordon Ramsay didn't pull this out of the air it was feedback from other diners and I love it."