一位爱尔兰餐饮创业者的坚持
Today, the top of the former Central Bank of Ireland building is home to DÍON, an 18,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant overlooking the center of Dublin. The name connects the restaurant to its location: Clancy says DÍON is an Irish word meaning roof and shelter.
Getting there required Clancy, a hospitality entrepreneur, to hold onto an idea that almost belonged to someone else. As international restaurant brands entered Dublin, Clancy questioned why an Irish operator couldn’t create something equally ambitious. He entered the formal tender (投标) process in 2019 with a concept rooted in Ireland, but he didn’t win. Then COVID hit his hospitality businesses. The managing director of Hines asked whether he was disappointed about losing the rooftop. Hines, the company that manages the building, invited him back. Clancy traveled to study restaurants in Dubai, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.A financial backer saw the same potential and offered to support the entire project.
The finished restaurant combines the international influences Clancy studied with the Irish identity he wanted to protect. Guests can celebrate an important occasion, stop in for lunch or spend an entire evening there. “I wanted it to be a special occasion, but I wanted it to be every occasion,” Clancy says.
Clancy has a problem with the front door at DÍON. “The front door is too heavy at the moment,” Clancy says with a laugh. The customer’s experience begins before the food reaches the table, and no part of that journey is too small to reconsider. “What are we without customers?” he says. “We’re nobody.”
That attention continues throughout DÍON. The restaurant’s cocktail book connects drinks to locations around Dublin. Each signature cocktail is paired with a latitude and a story explaining why it was chosen. Even the coasters carry instructions. One side tells the staff a guest wants still water. Flip it over, and it signals sparkling.
Clancy sees those details as part of building something larger than a single restaurant. He wants DÍON to become a recognizable brand, but that ambition still comes back to the person pulling on the front door. For Clancy, a memorable restaurant is not created by one impressive feature. It is built through a series of decisions that tell every guest someone was thinking about them.
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1.1. What can we learn about DÍON from Paragraph 1?
A It occupies the top of a former bank.
B It took its name from its owner.
C It is the city’s oldest restaurant.
D It is the work of an international team.
解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据第一段的“Today, the top of the former Central Bank of Ireland building is home to DÍON, an 18,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant overlooking the center of Dublin.”可知，餐厅坐落在昔日银行大楼的顶层。B“名字取自老板”与同段“Clancy says DÍON is an Irish word meaning roof and shelter”不同——名字来自爱尔兰语，不是人名；C“全市最老的餐厅”文中没有提到；D“国际团队的成果”把第三段的“the international influences Clancy studied”误当成设计团队。故选A。
2.2. What can be concluded about Clancy from Paragraph 2?
A He expected foreign brands to lead.
B He trusted local operators to compete.
C He regretted his 2019 tender.
D He doubted the city’s need for it. 3. Why does the writer mention the front door?
解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据第二段的“As international restaurant brands entered Dublin, Clancy questioned why an Irish operator couldn’t create something equally ambitious”可知，克兰西质疑的不是“要不要引进外国品牌”，而是“为什么爱尔兰人自己做不到同等水准的项目”，由此可推知他相信本地经营者有能力一争高下——原文并未直说，需一步推断。A“指望外国品牌领头”与他的疑问相反；C“后悔2019年的投标”，原文强调他坚持这个构想并最终回归，并未流露后悔；D“怀疑这座城市需不需要这样的项目”同样与他的疑问相反。故选B。
3.3. Why does the writer mention the front door?
A To note a fault in the building.
B To stress the need for repairs.
C To illustrate his idea of service.
D To praise the door’s design.
解析：选C。C 推理判断题。第四段先写他他目前对前门有意见，紧接着用“The customer’s experience begins before the food reaches the table, and no part of that journey is too small to reconsider.”给出理由——写这扇门是为了说明他心目中的服务标准。A“点出大楼的一处毛病”、B“强调仍需修缮”都把它当成工程问题，偏离作者用意；D“称赞这扇门的设计”与他说“too heavy”的抱怨相反。故选C。
4.4. What does Clancy think makes a restaurant memorable?
A Serving food that guests will remember.
B Turning DÍON into a famous brand.
C Offering guests a special occasion.
D Making every guest feel noticed.
解析：选D。D 观点态度题。末段给出他的判断：“a memorable restaurant is not created by one impressive feature”，而是“built through a series of decisions that tell every guest someone was thinking about them”——关键在让每位客人都感到“有人在为我着想”，也就是D“让每位客人都觉得被关注到”。A把“令人难忘”窄化为菜品，与末段“不是靠某一个惊艳亮点”不符，菜品只是体验的一环；B“把DÍON做成知名品牌”是他的雄心，文中紧接着用“but that ambition still comes back to the person pulling on the front door”说明雄心与“让人难忘”不是一回事；C“给客人一个特殊场合”出自第三段的定位说法（“a special occasion … every occasion”），讲的是场合类型，不是难忘的来源。故选D。