The opening of a new restaurant in the Trinity Business School, which was initially set to take place on Monday, September 23, has been postponed, with a new opening date still to be announced.
In an email to staff and students this afternoon, Trinity’s Catering Manager Moira O’Brien stated: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the opening date for Forum Restaurant in the Trinity Business School will advised early next week.”
“Our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused,” she continued.
The Forum Restaurant made an announcement on social media this morning, prior to the email, that the restaurant’s opening had been changed from Monday to Tuesday.
Speaking to Trinity News, O’Brien explained that “as things stand, we cannot confirm that it will be open on Tuesday”.
“We remain hopeful but will not be in a position to know for sure until Monday at the earliest,” O’Brien advised.
The new restaurant is to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner options once it opens for business, with a focus on sustainability and healthy options. The restaurant is expected to offer locally sourced barista coffee.
The restaurant’s name, Forum, was selected by a vote by staff and students in late 2018.
Chief Operating Officer Geraldine Ruane explained that the name Forum “suggests more than just a space or restaurant facility but an area in which ideas are discussed, networking takes place and people are intellectually stimulated”.
Members of the college community were invited to participate in an online survey to choose the new name, with the option to vote between four options or suggest a new one. Participants were encouraged to suggest names “reflecting on the building and its purpose as a business school”.
The catering behind the restaurant is in the hands of Sodexo Ireland, the catering company for the Perch Café in Arts Building.
The new Trinity Business School building, which houses Forum, opened to staff and students earlier this year. In addition to the new restaurant, the building is home to a 600-seat auditorium and 140-seat lecture hall, several smaller lecture theatres, a new Trinity Boardroom, and a 200-seat cafe called Jolt which is also expected to open this month. A near-zero energy building, the building has natural ventilation, two external green walls of shrubbery, and solar panels.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar officially opened the new business school on May 23, describing the building as “representative of the comeback story of Irish universities, which is very much underway”.
The new business school building was originally conceived in 2012. Trinity invested €90m in its development, with €20m coming from philanthropic donations and a €70m loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
