A restaurateur who opened an eatery in Leeds in memory of her mum has been forced to shut it down due to "price rises across the board" brought on by the cost of living crisis.
The owner of Dapur Malaysia in Chapel Allerton, Valerie Kolat, confirmed the sudden closure on Instagram. In a post, Valerie said the restaurant has faced "challenging circumstances" since it opened in 2019 and has been forced to operate "under some form of restrictions" for around half of its time in Leeds.
She added that, while she was sad that the business has closed, she felt some relief as it had put a huge strain on her personal life.
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Valerie said: "I am sorry to inform you that our Leeds restaurant is closed with immediate effect... Unfortunately, the price rises across the board this year made it impossible to continue trading as a restaurant.
"I opened the restaurant in memory of my mum and found it comforting recreating the food I grew up with. I loved sharing these with all our patrons. The pandemic, however, showed us where our strengths lay. Our takeaway and our Great Taste award-winning meal range will be our focus moving forward."
The restaurant will now reopen in Huddersfield - where Valerie lives - but "on a much smaller scale." Valerie said the closure of her Leeds restaurant has saddened her, but she added: "I am also relieved that it is over. I've always been up for a challenge, but it's been tough for me and my husband to hold it all together this last year and it has taken a toll on our family life."
Valerie thanked her staff members for their "loyalty, hard work and sense of humour" and also praised the Chapel Allerton community "who warmly welcomed us." The business is set to take over one of Trinity's street kitchen vans in May next year and its ready meals range can still be ordered from its website.
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