By Emma Ryan
A UNIQUE restaurant with some of the best views in the country has opened its doors after being closed for over 10 years.
The Waters Edge Restaurant in Rathmullan reopened to the public yesterday with the creation of around 20 new jobs and a new offering to the busy seaside town.
The restaurant is the latest project undertaken by Luke Johnston, who runs Lucas Restaurants in Letterkenny and five other food outlets throughout the county.
Luke has been working in a chip van since he was seven or eight and he opened Lucas on the day of his graduation and has been adding to his portfolio ever since.
Luke said a lot of work has gone into getting the restaurant up and running but he is looking forward to welcoming people to the venue after its 10 year closure.
“I think the restaurant would have been 11 years closed this August but there is no better feeling than seeing the doors open and people coming in to eat.
“There was a good bit of work to do to the restaurant and we have been working on it the past three or four weeks, just giving the place a facelift and getting it ready to open.
“We have repainted the restaurant, added new furniture and given the place a good clean,” said Luke.
Staff are currently being trained up but Luke said it has been a struggle to recruit staff with experience in the hospitality industry.
“We have brought a number of new jobs to the area and we are still recruiting.
“We are looking for people with experience. At the minute, our team is young but they are very capable and hard working.
“We do have positions for senior personnel such as a manager and supervisors,” said Luke.
Luke is hopeful the restaurant will be a major boost to the Rathmullan area and he plans to keep the restaurant open all year round.
“The restaurant is a great bonus to the town and we plan to open all year. We have places in Downings that open all year round because you can take the money out during the summer months when the tourists are there but you have to give back to locals in the winter too and keep it open.
“We want the locals to have somewhere to come too all year around but we also want to provide jobs all year too,” said Luke.
The restaurant’s major selling point – aside from the tasty food – is the breathtaking view of the sea.
Luke continued, “The view is something else and it is one of the best views in the county from a restaurant’s point of view.
“You won’t get anything to match it. Even when it gets dark, the views looking out at the water and the lights on, it is stunning.
“You have to be ‘Instragrammable’ now so the view certainly helps with that,” said Luke.
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