Capital Bars plc (formerly known as Break for the Border Group plc) was an Irish leisure company based in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. Its core business was the acquisition, development and operation of bars, hotels and restaurants, all based in Dublin city centre. Brothers Desmond and Liam O'Dwyer control the company as Joint Managing Directors. After acquiring Capital Bars in 2001, the O’Dwyers took the company private the following year.
The company was dissolved in 2017 following the sale of all its operational assets.
The business originally began in O'Dwyers Bar and Lounge, in Mount Street Dublin 2. This small family run pub was extensively refurbished by elder brother Liam O'Dwyer in the early 1980s and became the first "victorian style" pub of which Dublin is so well known for now. This was also one of the first pubs in Dublin to sell "pub-grub" at lunch times.
The chain reached its peak in number of pubs in the early 2000s, with 11 pubs/nightclubs, one
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood International Inc. (stylized as planet Hollywood, planet Hollywood observatory and ph) is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl En ...
franchise and 3 hotels in 2001; but significant numbers of pubs were divested prior to 2009 including Bad Bobs for €12m in 2006. Poor financial performance was reported during the mid-00s.
The company entered mixed
examinership
Examinership is a process in Irish law whereby the protection of the Court is obtained to assist the survival of a company. It allows a company to restructure with the approval of the High Court.
To obtain the appointment of an examiner it i ...
/
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...
on September 19, 2009; five days after poor results showing a 10m euro loss in the previous year. At that time the portfolio of multi-themed bars (several of them 'superpubs') included: Break for the Border, Café En Seine, Howl at the Moon, The Dragon, and
The George, Dublin
The George is a gay bar and nightclub on South Great George's Street in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland.
It is one of Ireland's oldest and biggest gay bars and is regarded as the best known gay bar in the city. South Great George's Street has h ...
. All were situated in key locations in Dublin City Centre.
The O'Dwyers repurchased ownership of much of the section of the group put through receivership through their company Toji Holdings, with the other premises exiting examinership; however all properties have since been sold.
The "Zanzibar" pub was closed, and has since been sold for redevelopment as a hotel.
The Trinity Capital Hotel was sold in 2013 with the Grafton Capital Hotel sold in 2015, closing for refurbishment afterwards.
The remaining pubs - Café En Seine, The Dragon, The George and Howl at the Moon - were sold for a reported €15 million in late 2014 to rival pub and hotel operator
Mercantile Group
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...
.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Capital Bars website
Hospitality companies of Ireland
Tourism in the Republic of Ireland
Pubs in Dublin (city)
Defunct hotel chains