The economy may be a full 8 per cent bigger than it was four years ago (according to Barclays), but the UK hospitality and leisure industry is reporting an uneven recovery. It continues to be a testing time for restaurants as they adapt to the rise and fall in people’s discretionary spending – and, as a result, there have been some notable casualties of late.
Take Martin Blunos, who became a fixture on the Bath culinary scene in the 1990s when his restaurant Lettonie earned two Michelin stars. His latest venture, Blunos in the County Hotel on Pulteney Road (which opened in February 2014), has closed after less than a year.
And news that The Warehouse restaurant in Southport, Merseyside is to close after 20 years, means it’s a tale of mixed fortunes for footballer Steven Gerrard and his business partner Paul Adams. Gerrard bought into The Warehouse in 2010, and shortly afterwards it underwent a £250,000 refurbishment, but is now expected to shut its doors on 6 April. Adams, who also owns the Vincent Hotel on Lord Street, Southport, is expected to move the Warehouse staff to a new Vincent café/cocktail bar venture in the centre of Liverpool.
Still up north, Bradley's restaurant on Fitzwilliam Street, Huddersfield has closed after 21 years in business. Owner Andrew Bradley felt that with the industry being a tough game, the time was right to call it a day.
And if you have a spare £200m, you might like to consider buying Gleneagles (left) – put up for sale by Diageo, who have owned the Perthshire hotel for more than 30 years. Gleneagles, which recently celebrated its 90th anniversary, is one of the UK’s finest luxury retreats and one of the world’s most celebrated golf resorts (it hosted the Ryder Cup golf tournament in 2014).
It’s all change for the Earl of Bradford, too. His London restaurant Porters, which closed its doors in January, is relocating to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire – with plans to open in May 2015. The original eatery had traded in Covent Garden for 35 years, but was driven out by expensive leases.
Yet this month also brings proof that there’s reason to be optimistic, with some tantalising new openings planned for later this year. Simon Rogan (below) has revealed he will be opening two restaurants: a big, 100-cover Mr Cooper’s-style brasserie in Cumbria (the first one opened in the Midland Hotel in Manchester in 2013), and a fish-orientated restaurant in the Southampton area – the chef’s home turf.
Cumbria will benefit from another high-profile hotel in July, when Andrew Wildsmith opens his third venue. The owner of Hipping Hall in Kirkby Lonsdale and The Ryebeck in Bowness-on-Windermere is currently overseeing the renovation of Forest Side in Grasmere, with cheffing duties in the hands of Kevin Tickle – one time sous-chef and head forager at Rogan’s world-class L’Enclume.