Portlaoise café to close after only six months
The café will close at the end of July
A FAMILY-RUN bakery and café in Portlaoise is to close down, after only six months in business.
R32 Artisan Bakery and Coffee Shop, on the ground floor of Dunamaise Arts Centre, opened in early January with a strong focus on local produce.
At a time when hospitality businesses continue to struggle financially, the large café on Church Street is set to close permanently on 26 July despite very positive reviews.
It will be a sad day for the Hungarian team behind the venture, particularly manager Tibor Noda, his wife Anett Horvatk and his mother Tilda Korodi, who both worked front of house.
Named after the R32 Eircode for Portlaoise, the outlet specialised in freshly-baked artisan breads, pastries and cakes, sandwiches, soups and a range of fine coffees.
After contacting the venue for comment, the was told that an official announcement regarding the impending closure is expected to be made later this week.
The news has been greeted with dismay by the Portlaoise Parents Collective (PPC), which held ‘coffee and play’ sessions twice a week at the venue.
A PPC member said: ‘R32 is a huge loss to the community. Our parents’ group have used it for meet-ups twice weekly for the last several months, as the bakery had a dedicated and vibrant play corner especially for kids.
‘It’s a really regrettable and unfortunate loss to the town. It’s very regrettable that a new business is closing its doors after only six months of trade. The importance of supporting local really rings true.’
When R32 opened the bakery café, the ground floor space at the Dunamaise had been vacant since October 2022, when Caffe Latte closed after 23 years in business.
At the time, Caffe Latte owner Ken McPherson decided to consolidate his successful catering businesses and allow more time with his family, while continuing to run another Caffe Latte outlet in nearby Lyster Square.
