Cardiff restaurants Bully's and Sopra 73 close their doors
Two Cardiff restaurants – Bully's and Sopra 73 – both announced their closure over the bank holiday weekend.
Owner of Bully's (pictured), Russell Bullimore, posted on Twitter: "It is with a very heavy heart that we have had to make the decision to permanently close our doors to the restaurant…
"We want to sincerely thank our staff and customers who have supported Bully's over the years since our doors opened in 1996. From our family to you, thank you and wishing you all health and happiness."
The restaurant achieved AA Restaurant of the Year Wales 2014-15 and closed following its last service on 7 May.
Marc Palladino also announced that Sopra 73 would be closing as it was unsustainable "due to the spiralling cost of utilities and produce".
Palladino said the dining room would become an extension of his downstairs restaurant Pizzeria Villaggio and the kitchen would be used to expand the business's takeaway. All staff have been transferred to Pizzeria Villaggio and he said the concept would return as a pop-up "from time to time".
He posted on Facebook: "It is with a very heavy heart that I have made the decision to permanently close Sopra 73. Unfortunately we aren't able to sustain the business due to the spiralling cost of utilities and produce…
"Local/independently run businesses are the heartbeat of every community and now is a very challenging time, please remember to shop local at every opportunity."
Hospitality operators have warned of "mass closures" following a cut in energy bill support last month despite spiralling cost inflation.
UKHospitality said the sector faces a £7.3b rise in energy bills and warned thousands of venues will go out of business unless action is taken to tackle "profiteering" energy suppliers.
Restaurants across the UK have been dealing with the highest level of inflation since 1981 and a sharp slowdown in consumer spending, as well as transport strikes affecting bookings. In addition to increasing food and energy costs, restaurants have been hit by shortages of labour, particularly for skilled roles such as chefs, which has pushed up staff costs.
The last quarter of 2022 was already the worst on record for restaurant closures with restaurant closures in the last month including Puro and 28 Market Place in Somerset, SpiceBox's last remaining site in London's Walthamstow and Prezzo, which is set to close 46 sites across the country.
