The Moor, the much-loved restaurant in Heaton Moor, has closed down, its owners have confirmed. In a pained statement on its website, it cited insurmountable problems with increased overheads, from produce to energy costs.
The neighbourhood spot on Shaw Road had only been open since 2020, during which time it had received a number of rave reviews for its solid cooking, some dubbing its chips - only ever served with its rib steak - the ‘best in Manchester’.
Chef James Hulme said: “This is tough to write, we have taken the decision to close our doors. The last two years have been crazy, we set out with the intention to offer some of the North West’s best produce at a reasonable price.
“We did everything to make this happen but ultimately, for a restaurant that wanted to be as sustainable as possible - from making charcoal, utilising every piece of the animal or fish, having close to zero waste and working with small independents - we believe that moving forward, as a business, this simply isn’t sustainable.”
In sentiments which echo what the owners of the Sowerby Bridge gastropub The Moorcock announced last week, Hulme added that ‘this is not the time be running a small independent business’.
He went on: “We do not want to compromise on what we serve by buying in cheaper mass produced food served with horrendous mark ups. These aren’t the only reasons, there are some personal factors too that have led to this decision.
“We wish to thank every single customer (even the couple that left a bad review) for coming and supporting us through this journey. In February 2020 we thought Brexit was the biggest hurdle we would face, how wrong we were….but so many of you have helped either through your custom and support or even putting an apron on when we were short staffed!
“Finally to the staff, thank you so much, I dreaded telling you all the news but you were awesome and very understanding. The Moor won’t be back but please, support local, support independent and most of all appreciate the value, quality and time that indies put into what they do.”
Hulme previously worked at the famous Quaglino’s restaurant in London, and also under famed chef Marco Pierre White. Latterly, he worked among the opening brigade at 20 Stories in Manchester.
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