'Difficult trading conditions' push Will Devlin to close The Curlew
Devlin, who also owns The Small Holding in Kildown, Kent, and Birchwood restaurant in Flimwell Park, East Sussex, described the decision to close The Curlew as 'a very hard decision', but added that it was the 'best one he could make' given the circumstances.
He said: "The Curlew opened three weeks before the first national lockdown and went through the rollercoaster of successive reopening and closing.
"Despite loyal guests and acclaim from national restaurant critics, the current climate and substantially increased energy bills have forced our hand to make this decision. We have told the team and will be doing our best to relocate them to our other sites, which are unaffected by this decision.
"I would like to thank all of our team past and present for giving 100% of themselves to creating what we did at The Curlew. I want to also thank everyone who has dined with us over the years, you have made it possible for us to do what we love and we are truly grateful for the experience you have made possible for us.
"Small business are struggling everywhere, as I know families are too. Please be kind, support your local pub, restaurant, farm shop, butcher, fishmonger what ever it may be. They need you and a little help from a lot of people goes a long way."
Spiralling costs have forced chefs and restaurateurs across the country to reassess operations, with several announcing the permanent closure of sites in recent weeks.
Last month, Oxfordshire restaurant Crockers Henley permanently closed its doors, with owner Luke Garnsworthy blaming the 'bleak economic outlook'. Meanwhile, in Bristol, Larkin Cen's Woky Ko group has permanently closed its restaurants on Queens Road and at the city's Cargo development, with the chef citing rising price pressures
