A Manchester restaurant has taken the decision to reduce its opening hours due to the ‘rising costs of utilities and stock’ amid the cost of living crisis. Vegan restaurant, V Rev Vegan Diner said they ‘were no longer able to operate in the same way’ due to the soaring costs.
The 100 percent vegan restaurant will now only open Thursday through Sunday, operating 12-8pm on Thursday and Sunday, and 12-9pm on Friday and Saturday. Offering up a selection of animal friendly burgers as well as ‘buttermilk’ seitan and jumbo hotdogs, the much-loved diner opened on Edge Street in Manchester in 2016, after moving from a smaller premises on Oldham Street.
In a post shared to social media, V Rev owners explained the decision and thanked its customers for their “continued support” in what they described as a “difficult time”. The vegan diner has amassed an impressive following since opening, thanks to its traditional American-style comfort food including mac and cheese, loaded nachos and fries.
A number of fans of the vegan diner left messages of support following the announcement on Instagram, with one saying “so sad…we have booked a visit to Manchester on the 19th and 20th hoping to eat with you guys”. Another said: “Hang in there! You make the best vegan food in the country! Can’t wait to be back soon and will be there every day…twice a day.”
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , Dominic Moss said: “It wasn’t a decision we came to lightly. Obviously we’ve been open seven days a week for most of the time we’ve been operating over the last 10 years.
“Essentially, any cost you can think of has gone up across food, drink and utilities. And post Covid, things have never really gone back to the same place, especially for places that need day trade and open during lunchtime - a lot of people haven’t come back to the office, they’re just not there for lunchtime.
“We used to see a big lunch rush and that's just dropped off, plus the people coming out after work for a bite to eat. And then outside of that, everyone is struggling with personal costs going through the roof and people not having as much money to spend.
"To open weekends still makes sense for us, but we can't afford to be losing money every day. The energy price cap is nice, but it doesn't get rid of the fact that things are at least double what they are going to be.
"This temporary gap just doesn't seem to be enough. I think hospitality has just taken such a battering over the last few years, and unless you're part of a chain or have really deep pockets , it's just going to get harder and harder."
The news comes as a number of businesses have expressed their fears for the future over soaring energy prices . In recent weeks, a number of business owners have said they worry they’ll be ‘closed before Christmas’ due to ‘disgusting’ rate hikes.
Last week, Prime Minister Liz Truss announced new plans to tackle rising energy bills, namely a cap on domestic bills at £2,500 for the next two years, and an "equivalent guarantee" for the next six months for businesses. In response, Manchester's night-time economy advisor, Sacha Lord, told the M.E.N. that the intervention was welcome but a long-term plan was still desperately needed.
Lord said: "Not only will this lack of certainty significantly harm the investment potential in UK industry, but I believe many businesses will still be forced to close. With its lack of detail and assurance, I cannot see how this programme will stave off the redundancies in the hospitality sector which we have forecasted."
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