An award-winning restaurant is being forced to close down due to rising costs. The Ollerod in Beaminster, Dorset, operates as a restaurant, hotel and pub. However, due to increasing food prices and staff costs, part of the business will now only operate as a hotel and pub. Overnight guests will still be able to enjoy a continental breakfast. However, from today it is no longer operating as a restaurant.
The restaurant was launched in 2018 by Chris Staines, former executive chef at the Abbey Hotel in Bath. The Ollerod also went on to win Restaurant of the Year at the Dorset Food and Drink Awards later in the same year.
Despite its success, the restaurant had to cease operation, which owner Silvana Bandini blames on « multiple factors » including food costs that she has had « doubled or tripled ».
In a social media post, she wrote: « This has been an incredibly difficult decision, which I have struggled with immensely; however, it is the only feasible option (and I have spent a lot of time considering them all).
“I’m sure you’re all aware that the hospitality industry is on its knees at the moment, and sadly the Ollerod is no different.
“The cost of ‘feeding people’, with all the wages (chefs, pot wash, servers) plus the astronomical increase in the actual cost of food, means that the revenue generated from food no longer even covers these two costs.
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“Gas, electricity, water, kitchen/restaurant consumables, booking systems, equipment, kitchen maintenance etc – are now all expenses with no offset.”
The owner also expressed that she will have to adapt to survive the economic climate after being in hospitality all her life.
She said: « My whole life in hospitality has been centred around food… The thought of having a hospitality business without food goes against all my instincts; but I have to adapt in order to survive this challenging economic time, with the aim of creating something amazing in a different way. »
The company has announced that a separate food truck business set up by its former head chef will be parked on site and serve food on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Customers can enjoy the food inside the pub, as long as they purchase a drink or take it away.
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