Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said the vast majority of people working in pubs and restaurants are adhering to Covid-19 restrictions.
He said he had the highest regard for them and he paid tribute to the gardaí who visit thousands of premises each week.
It comes after the owner of Dublin's Berlin restaurant, Jay Bourke, responded to criticism of the behaviour of some customers on the premises at the weekend.
A short video posted on social media showed people failing to physically distance.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Bourke said he was not excusing what had happened, describing it as an aberration.
The restaurateur said he is satisfied that having looked at CCTV from the venue that the footage shared on social media does not fully reflect what happened in the bar on Saturday.
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Mr Bourke told RTÉ News that footage from inside the Dublin city centre premises shows that for the majority of the time people were complying with public health guidelines.
He said he was appalled and embarrassed when he saw the video.
He said he interviewed staff and looked at CCTV footage and went to gardaí about the matter.
Mr Bourke said the 20-second clip happened in the afternoon, that it was a pre-booked event, sparsely populated which followed all the guidelines.
He said the whole of the premises was fully controlled when he looked at the rest footage.
Mr Bourke said he is not excusing what the barman did but he is happy that he can say that it will not happen again.
"It was just a mad moment, 20-seconds of madness," he said.
He said dancing would not be encouraged, nor would jumping from table to table at his premises.
Mr Bourke said the barman should not have done what he did but "he's young and got excited".
He said young people need to have fun but be safe and said he regrets putting the brunch on, they have got death threats since the footage went viral and he believes they are being made an example of.
Mr Bourke said he accepts the behaviour broke public health guidelines.
He said calls to close the premises should not be based on a 20-second clip, adding that he has had Covid-19 and would not wish it on anyone.
Mr Bourke said he is with pubs "all the way" but this is not an "excuse to hang us out to dry".
He said Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn is judging the bar on a 20-second clip and that he does not think that anyone broke the law.
Minister Donnelly said that scenes at the restaurant were reckless and were a slap in the face on those who are working so hard to suppress the virus and businesses who have made huge sacrifices.
Also speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr Donnelly said he spoke to the Minister for Justice and the gardaí about the incident.
He said it is not acceptable to have that behaviour dismissed as just "young people just want to have fun".
He said he does not want to speak specifically about Berlin bar but said places should be closed down if they are not complying with public health guidelines.
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Reacting to the Berlin bar incident, Dr Gabriel Scally, Royal Society of Medicine, London, said it is dangerous behaviour and makes it difficult on people who are observing the rules.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Sarah McInerney, Dr Scally said there does need to be some penalties in place on those who breach regulations.
He said there has to be a clear understanding that behaviour like this should not be tolerated and that proper management should be put in place.
Taking away a licence from those who break the guidance should be considered, he added.
A consultant in infectious diseases at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin and Professor of Microbial Diseases at UCD said he was disappointed to see what happened in the restaurant over the weekend.
Dr Paddy Mallon said it does not reflect broadly on the restaurant scene in general.
He said society's response to tackling Covid-19 is better than it was three weeks ago despite the video footage.
Dr Mallon said in general the country may need a level "of refocus" and that it is almost impossible for the public to "maintain a focus".
He said there needs to be a clear message sent to the public about those who are not following the public guidelines.
