What The Dickens! owner John Coyle should be planning a party. This November, his pub turns 25 years old and that's cause for a celebration.
The establishment, located in Ebisu, has served as a hub for the international community since 1995, hosting live music shows, charity fundraisers and holiday feasts. And while he's weathered tough times before, Coyle, like most of the rest of us, didn't see a global pandemic coming.
"We’ve been through four recessions," Coyle says through a thick Scottish accent. “First there was a slump with the Y2K paranoia, then another slump in 2004. After that were the Lehman shocks and then the earthquake. But with all of those we were able to stay open and maintain cash flow. Now, it’s completely different in the fact that our cash flow has just dried up completely."