Vegan restaurant Hypha to close temporarily due to rising costs

Vegan restaurant Hypha in Chester has announced its temporary closure as a result of soaring costs hitting the business.

Nicholas Friar opened Hypha in February 2019. It was the city's first entirely vegan restaurant offering a micro-seasonal tasting menu, for which it received a Michelin Green Star for 'sustainable gastronomy' in 2021.

Dishes included ravioli with fermented oyster mushroom, almond and velouté; and peach with almond yoghurt and umeboshi.

Hypha tweeted: "With soaring costs of outgoings for the business, our current model leaves us at a high price point for our guests. Unfortunately to continue to operate at the level of service and gastronomy that we desire; that price point would need to increase even further, something we do not want to engage in.

"With this, to preserve the integrity of what we hold dear, we have decided to close our doors for the current time and re-evaluate how we can give the public the product we want at a more accessible price."

Hypha stressed that it intends to return "in a different time, location and execution", and that "this is not a goodbye but a ‘see you later'".

Hypha's closure comes after that of another independent vegan restaurant, Got No Beef in Cardiff this month, which revealed that it had been "engulfed by the devastating effects of the current economic/energy crises and Brexit".

Hospitality businesses are currently struggling with rising energy bills and food costs.

The government's mini-budget announced last week has led to many operators urging for more support around business rates and VAT to survive the winter months.

Image: Hypha.uk / Facebook