Joe Doyle for The Department of Finance? Why not? When you can pull off the mighty act that Mr Doyle’s quartet of stores pulled off in 2011 – showing profits of almost 5000,000 euro – then you know something about running a high-class, upscale, cultured, niche operation. And what is Ireland if not a high-class, upscale, cultured, niche operation? DF understands both its suppliers and its customers, and the shops marry the aesthetic of what they sell with service and settings that make you feel as good as half-a-million bucks.
Their secret is simple: Mr Doyle is a food man: a butcher by training, he understands food, understands quality, understands what people want. His crew support his vision with classy competence, and the DF stores are icons in Ireland’s contemporary food culture: Donnybrook Fab.
