Ten jobs to be created at new Athlone branch of Ballymahon eatery

Launching a hospitality business during a global pandemic is not the sort of challenge that many would relish. But that's just what three locals decided to do when they opened Jolly Boys Pizza and Grill in Ballymahon in October of last year.

That brave decision has paid off and, after a positive first fourteen months, the owners of Jolly Boys, Michael Delaney, Leo Flanagan and Fenton White, are preparing to expand by opening an Athlone branch of the eatery in Arcadia Retail Park.

The Athlone outlet, which is being planned as a take-away with limited seating, is due to open at some stage during the early months of the new year.

Michael Delaney explained that approximately ten staff will be recruited for the Athlone branch, between full-time and part-time roles, adding to the fifteen staff currently employed at the restaurant on Ballymahon's Main Street.

Outlining the background to the business, he explained that he, Leo, and Fenton were "all from Ballymahon, or thereabouts" and that Leo had been working in various pizzerias for a number of years.

"Fenton and I have no background in anything to do with food; I run a lighting company and Fenton runs an electrical contracting company," he explained.

"For several years, I was of the opinion that the take-away or casual dining offering in Ballymahon could be a lot better, particularly with Center Parcs in mind, because you're going to have around 2,000 people there on holidays all year round.

"We thought if we could crack into that take-away and delivery market it had good potential. So I got talking to Leo and we hatched a plan. Fenton came on board, and we then came up with the idea of how it would look and feel.

"We've been open more than a year now, and it's been great. We've been delighted with the reception so far."

The Ballymahon restaurant originally opened for take-away only, before adding a delivery service and then outdoor and indoor dining. Michael said he had no regrets about opening during the pandemic.

"Opening any sort of business is a risk, but I always think it's a good time to open when things are uncertain, because if you can survive the volatility of this period you will be battle-hardened," he commented.

"A lot of people open businesses in good times and then they don't know how to deal with any adversity. But we thought that if any business was going to do well in lockdown it was going to be a take-away, especially with deliveries, and that has been the case.

"So, even though it was an uncertain time, we kind of thought, ‘why not?’ We all had time on our hands as well, as we were all working from home, so it was a project for us all for the year," he said.

While the business is known for its pizzas, Michael explained that its burgers were now equally popular and were made with beef from his own farm beside the Royal Canal on the Longford side of Ballymahon.

"We have a Bord Bia-approved farm and the cattle are grass-fed, without any concentrates. It's very much a farm-to-fork operation.

"We try to do everything as sustainably as possible, and as locally-sourced as possible, be that with compostable packaging or locally-sourced ingredients, and the beef is the big one."

He said the Athlone branch of Jolly Boys in Arcadia Retail Park would, like Ballymahon, be open seven days a week, and he was hopeful that it would be a success.

"There are a lot of good things happening in Athlone, with the university status and a lot of good companies being located there. It's probably not far off city status at this stage, and there's a lot of housing development particularly around the Arcadia area.

"We kind of have that Monksland, Coosan, Cornamaddy part of Athlone in mind – we think that if we do it right we have a good chance of doing quite well and plus you have the passing trade coming from the motorway.

"Thankfully we've gotten on great with Fiachra McLoughlin and Caroline Muldoon (of Arcadia Retail Park), and they like the vision we have for what we can bring to Arcadia.

"They have fantastic plans for Arcadia themselves, and we'd like to be a small part of that," he said.