Graham Hornigold's Longboys closes all sites after six years
Longboys, the gourmet doughnut and coffee concept founded in 2019, has announced the permanent closure of its sites after six years of trading.
The business, known for elevating doughnuts with seasonal ingredients and creative flavour combinations, confirmed that rising inflation, increased National Insurance contributions, and spiralling product costs have made it impossible to continue operating.
About Graham
Starting out as a teenager, sweeping floors and stacking bread in a bakery in St Albans, Graham joined Watford catering college. He would go on to study international culinary arts at the University of West London, having already started his career in earnest.
After spells in the pastry section at London hotels Mandarin Oriental and The Lanesborough, Graham joined Hakkasan Group in 2011. There he became responsible for all patisserie and desserts across the group’s restaurants in London, Asia, the US and more, where Michelin stars and other awards were won along the way.
“Not the end, but a redirection”
In a statement shared on social media, Graham said: “With rising inflation, changes to NI, and product costs spiralling, the past few months have been incredibly tough. Like so many small independents across the UK hospitality industry, we’ve felt the impact hard. You may have seen that we made the difficult decision to close all Longboys sites in the hope of reopening. Sadly, we won’t be able to bring them back. But this isn’t the end – it’s a redirection.”
The announcement follows a challenging year for hospitality operators, with sustained food inflation outstripping headline rates and independents particularly vulnerable to margin pressures.
Read more: Graham Hornigold's Longboys: Gourmet doughnut revolution
A thank you to the team and customers
The post also paid tribute to those who helped shape the brand.
“I want to thank everyone who has supported Longboys over the past six years – from our amazing customers to the brilliant people who made it all happen behind the scenes. A special thank you goes to our management team, Stef, Ellie, and Farrah; our fantastic front of house crew; our PR and socials team; and of course, our exceptionally talented bakers.”
Longboys added: “As ever, we’ll dust ourselves off and go again.”
Impact on independents
Longboys’ closure highlights the pressures facing UK hospitality operators, particularly those in the bakery and café sector, where energy, staffing, and ingredient costs have all climbed steeply. According to industry figures, food inflation in 2025 has consistently outpaced overall inflation, leaving small businesses with little flexibility to absorb increases.
Despite these challenges, Longboys’ legacy as a creative independent brand remains strong. Known for its inventive flavours and playful presentation, it helped redefine doughnuts in the capital and beyond.
Con mum
Graham was also at the centre of a Netflix true-crime documentary released earlier this year.
The programme, titled Con Mum, explores how Graham became the victim of a woman who posed as his long-lost mother, manipulating him with fabricated stories and leaving him facing personal and financial fallout.
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