Three restaurants to shut their doors in the Sudbury area

The Bulmer Fox in Bulmers Tye (Image: Archant)

The Bulmer Fox, in Bulmer Tye, is now closed, and has issued a public message stating that this is partly due to “constantly rising costs, especially business rates, that makes it difficult to continue to run a good value, fresh food establishment with high staffing levels”.

Landlord Henry Ford also blamed the decision on “constant demands that running the Fox places on myself and my family”.

Sudbury has also just lost a fast food eatery, Wimpy, which has shut down at Old Market Place in the town.

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The Loft in Sudbury (Image: Archant)

The owner, Harun Korhan, said: “The Wimpy company was not satisfying us or our customers anymore.”

He is opening a new restaurant, Chill-in, a cafe and bistro, soon, stating that the new restaurant would feature “new style and taste from all around the world”.

Also closing is the Loft on Gaol Lane, a family-run restaurant operated by Krzysztof Golos that had been open for more than three years.

According to the Centre for Retail Research, more than 10,000 restaurant jobs were lost in 2018, amounting to 30 people a day and expects a further 10,950 jobs to be lost across the casual dining sector in 2019, with independent restaurants being hit the hardest.

Restaurants have been battling stagnating sales, over-capacity and rising costs which saw a host of familiar high-street names such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Carluccio’s, Prezzo, Chimichanga, Byron and Jamie’s Italian close stores, seek rescue deals or enter administration.

Paul Milsom, managing director of Milsom Hotels, which operates Maison Talbooth, Le Talbooth and Milsoms in Dedham, the Pier in Harwich and Kesgrave Hall in Ipswich, claims the recession that has hit the restaurant sector is partly down to “over-expansion and over-expectation of what they can deliver”.

“One of the things that has really helped the high street is the restaurants that have come in to replace shops shutting down, but of course they are the ones now bearing the brunt from business rates,” he said. “Investors are suddenly finding out that there isn’t the money they thought there was in restaurants.”

Michele Freeman, who lives in Great Cornard, commented that the news was a sign of “sad times”. “Lots of people say they want the big chains - that then doesn’t make the town any different from any other town. And the taxes and rents rise and rise making it impossible for anyone to survive.”