Top chef to CLOSE Michelin-backed restaurant after 15 years due to ‘significant challenges’
A TOP chef has been forced to close down a Michelin-backed restaurant after 15 years.
Roger Hickman will be saying goodbye to diners for the final time in Norwich after battling "significant challenges" to stay afloat.
The hailed chef opened his beloved venue, named after himself, in Norwich’s Upper St Giles in February 2010.
Since serving their first table, Roger and his team have won three AA rosettes and a recommendation in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland.
But the top chef admitted "the industry has changed dramatically".
"It’s been an extraordinary journey, but after 15 years, I’ve decided it’s time to put the restaurant on the market for sale," he told the Caterer.
Read More Money News
"Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I feel it’s the right moment to move on."
The chef claimed it is "impossible for small businesses to survive" amid the cost-of-living crisis and ever-rising bills.
But customers will be disappointed to see the Michelin Guide recommended à la carte menus gone forever.
They were praised for being "modern" and "intricate".
Most read in Money
The last meal will be served on Sunday, March 30, but Roger reassured fans he's not leaving the industry altogether.
He revealed he has a couple of "projects and investments" in the works, including private dining services for special hire events.
Roger was the head chef of Adlard’s, which had a Michelin star, for several years.
This comes as another top chef has been forced to close down his Michelin-starred restaurant just months after it lost its star.
Leroy, in Leonard Street, Shoreditch, sadly announced its closure after seven years of serving devoted fans.
Meanwhile, another TV star opened up about his "lost dream" after shutting an award-winning restaurant.
Top chef Simon Wood said his fine dining establishment WOOD, in Manchester, was forced to close and that "it's bleak".
Elsewhere, another restaurant owner was forced to shut his Michelin-starred establishment overnight, claiming the decision was completely out of his hands.
The eatery was boarded up after the landlord "made the decision to close" the doors.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Plus, a chef who worked at one of Jamie Oliver's restaurants has announced he will shutter his food spot, leaving diners devastated.
Experts say the cost of living crisis has left customers favouring a cheap dinner over splashing out on fancy evenings in expensive restaurants, and this has made celeb chefs think twice about whether it's worth continuing to run their business.
What is happening to the hospitality industry?
By Laura McGuire, consumer reporter
MANY Food and drink chains have been struggling in recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.
Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon.
Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.
