want to come with us to Newcastle, and so I wanted to give them the opportunity to find something else.”
“How it panned out was two members of staff were offered jobs, and they were being pressured to start. They were trying to drag it out until we could get the deal done but in the end weren’t able to. I felt that it would have been incredibly difficult to motivate people or bring anybody else in from the outside.” He said.
Customers have also been offered alternative bookings within the group's other restaurants.
Nick contacted individual customers who had reservations through to 2017.
“I have to say that the customers have been great. I personally called every single booking that we had. I mean some of them understandably have been upset, especially when it comes to wedding parties, but by and large they have been wholly supportive.”
Owner Terry Laybourne opened the restaurant almost 20 years ago, and found it hard to let go of the restaurant.
“I’ve been there for 20 years, it was incredibly hard for me, it doesn’t normally end on that basis. you’ve just got to move on though. Particularly with these two new ventures happening right now, it just makes sense.”
