Bewleys' chairman Patrick Campbell said this week that the cafe chain's recruitment difficulties had abated somewhat.

It was Mr Campbell, remember, who found himself in hot water a couple of years ago when he was one of the first Irish employers to go public on the skills shortage. While Irish workers remain hard to come by, the chain now recruits throughout Europe.

This brings to mind a conversation overheard in a Bewleys cafe shortly after the new policy was introduced. As the Margin recalls, the chat occurred between an elder staff member and a younger recruit, freshly arrived from a sunnier land, who displayed signs of linguistic confusion.

"Love," said the old hand, holding two items of cutlery aloft, "this is a fork and this is a knife".

"Ah," came the response. "Thought it was other way 'round." Nothing like a spot of on the job training . . . eh?