Restaurant to close as making money 'is impossible'

A restaurant owner says "it is impossible to make money in hospitality anymore" following the announcement of the closure of her business.

French restaurant Domaine 16, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, survived the pandemic after opening on Regent Street in 2019, but will offer its last service to customers on Friday.

The news follows the recent closure of The Find coffee house on the same road, with the owners saying they were unsure if it would ever reopen.

"Sometimes you've got to say it's time to go, you've done everything you could, but it's game over," said Stephanie Ronssin, owner of Domaine 16.

"I invested all my money and the reason for closing is I don't have any more money to invest," she added.

Ms Ronssin said the closure was tough to take as the restaurant had been successful, with "amazing" reviews and many customers.

"Unfortunately, for the last two years, the margins have been reduced and reduced.

"The cost of utilities has gone through the roof, the cost of food has gone through the roof, so basically we're making enough just to be at zero.

"You don't want to put your prices too high because you still want customers in, so it's a vicious circle," she said.

The closure has led to other restaurant owners in Cheltenham urging people to support local independent businesses.

Pak-Wai Hung, who runs 288 Bar and Wok on the High Street, said the business had just experienced its worst three months in 20 years.

"It's not sustainable mentally or financially. We may be the bosses but we still have our mortgages to pay and children to look after, all of those pressures," he said.

Mr Hung said he had started to wonder whether to keep running the restaurant, but he wanted to try and keep going.

He said: "You pay your landlord, pay your VAT, pay your staff and whatever's left you pay yourself. We're getting to the point where I'm earning less than the pot washer.

"We choose it because we have a passion, but after a while that passion fades and becomes a burden.

"But we're going to try, we have to do new things, we have to innovate, we're part of the community."

A Government spokesperson said: "Hospitality is at the heart of our communities and plays a vital role in supporting economic growth right across the UK to deliver our Plan for Change. That's why we're working with the sector to cut business rates and improve licensing so businesses can thrive."

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