CORK'S MARKET LANE GROUP; ONLY RESTAURANTS TO PLACE ON LIST OF IRELANDS BEST WORKPLACES 2025

press release

CORK'S MARKET LANE GROUP; ONLY RESTAURANTS TO

 PLACE ON LIST OF IRELANDS BEST WORKPLACES 2025

A moment to celebrate the award for Market Lane co-owners. 

From L to R:  Mark O'Shaughnessy, Tracey Corbett, Judy Howard and Conrad Howard  

The progressive, Cork-based Market Lane Restaurant Group has received a major boost to its 2025 recruitment drive by being named one of Ireland's Best Workplaces 2025, after a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work® Institute Ireland. The newly selected companies were announced on Wednesday 26 March 2025. The Market Lane Group was the only restaurant group to be recognised and will use this to kickstart its annual recruitment drive as discerning jobseekers increasingly use credentials like this when choosing where to work.

The group comprises 5 restaurants: Market Lane, goldie, ORSO, Elbow Lane Smokehouse & Brewery and The Castle Café Blackrock. The company was accredited a Great Place to Work (GPTW) in 2023 and 2024 and last year it also won a coveted Gold Employer Excellence Award from Failte Ireland.

“We are so delighted and humbled to be selected" says Michelle Daniel, head office co-ordinator at Market Lane. “This recognition really helps us stand out as employers of choice in the increasingly competitive hospitality talent market. It also comes at our peak recruitment period for the group, which is perfect timing!

"We have found that jobseekers, particularly in the hospitality industry, are really doing their homework on the companies they apply to, which is great for us. They want to work with organisations that best reflect their belief systems and that offer a good work/life balance."

The criteria for entry to the list of Ireland's Best Workplaces is strongly based on direct feedback from employees, provided as part of an extensive and anonymous survey about the workplace experience, undertaken by the GPTW team.

“91% of our staff are proud to say they work for us” continues Daniel, and, really importantly for the industry at present, 94% say that they are treated equally regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age or race. This reflects our ongoing commitment to build a great workplace culture and employee experience.”

Crucially, while the Market Lane Group has been working closely with GPTW over the past couple of years, significant improvements have been noticed in recruitment outcomes. “Since we have engaged with the GPTW programme we have noticed a higher retention rate and a significant reduction in the number of vacancies. The volume and standard of job applications has also increased” adds Daniel "as have the number of employee referrals."

These results have engendered a stronger cultural stance from the company which has, in turn, strengthened the recruitment team’s conviction and assessment processes when choosing candidates who are the right fit for the company.

“We have also had a much greater engagement by staff members in our ambitious environmental policies, staff training programmes and advancement opportunities at all levels. This adds to employee skill sets, which raises standards across the board. We are understandably delighted that we started on this journey with GPTW" concludes Daniel. "To be selected as one of the Best Workplaces in Ireland, and the only restaurant group to do so is the icing on the cake."