Robert Bowe, Restaurant & Wine Programme Manager at Ashford Castle, joins Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio 1 to discuss the dying etiquette of dining well. Listen back above.
"The biggest thing I've seen is the change - especially after COVID - in the way we eat our food and the way we get our food," Bowe says, noting the booming popularity of takeaway services in Ireland.
Although the variety of dining options is a positive change, however, he fears that the real issue may be in how we make memories at the dinner table.
"I think the biggest change that I've noticed is that families aren't eating together as much as they used to," he continues. "Maybe they've lost the sense of dining together.
"When they come to a place like Ashford, especially with families, you can see that maybe it's the first time they've eaten together in a couple of weeks or maybe a couple of months."
Having worked at Ashford Castle for 37 years, the Programme Manager says he has "seen it all" and notes that family dinners seem to have fallen out of habit across the board when it comes to international guests.
Another issue that has arisen, unsurprisingly, is the blight of the mobile phone.
"The phone would be the big bugbear for everyone in the restaurant business," he says. "If we could get rid of the phone, we would probably turn over a lot more tables and have more attention from the guests."
Although it would be nice for diners to be phone-free at the dinner table, Bowe admits that technology has a part to play when it comes to eating out - whether it be looking up recommendations, finding out what ingredients are in season, or simply staying entertained when dining alone.
When it comes to fine dining, Bowe says that the sheer number of glasses and pieces of cutlery on the table can be "bombarding" but insists that guests should feel comfortable in asking questions as every course should be an experience to remember.
"It's a sense of theatre," he explains. "For us, it's theatre; it's like a performance every night."
When Brendan asks if the fine dining is on the rise or fall in Ireland, Bowe insists that it is booming and thanks a certain TV shows for its popularity.
"I think Downton Abbey had a huge impact," he says. "Afternoon tea is going through the roof - everyone wants Afternoon Tea. Definitely, people are dressing up more; you can see them in the waistcoats at dinner and the fine ties and pocket squares and all that."
To listen back to the full chat on RTÉ Radio 1, listen back above.
