A renowned restaurant owner, who has been working in Liverpool for more than two decades, called on the government to support the hospitality industry to stop more venues from closing amid the cost of living crisis.
Christakis Georgiou, 54, moved to Liverpool from Cyprus in the 1990s, working as manager at Caesar's Palace on Renshaw Street before setting up the titular Christakis chain. The business is famed for its radio jingle and now serves Greek food from sites on Duke Street and Aigburth Road, as well as a stall in the Baltic Market.
He told the ECHO the business is now facing staggering bills to keep the establishments running.
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He added: "You might walk in on a Saturday and it's packed and think there's nothing wrong, but it's not like that.
"I'm paying £3,700 a month on the Duke Street site just for electricity, and more than £2,000 a month on gas. On Aigburth Road, it's about £2,500 for electricity and £2,000 on gas.
"You also need to think about how much more expensive it is for vegetables and products like rice and chicken. They're nearly double. "Our choices are either put prices up or cut staff."
Christakis has refused to do either, but now closes on Mondays to keep overheads at bay.
He said: "This is why you see so many places in town shutting down. I get phone calls asking me if I'm interested in vacant restaurants in Birkenhead or New Brighton, but I'm not, I'm trying to have a go at what we've got."
And its not just energy that Christakis is worrying about. He added: "After Brexit, we're facing a massive problem in hospitality with staff. There are not many chefs or waiters; a lot of people left."
Christakis is no stranger to having to get a shirt on to serve customers when staff are sick. He said: "The hospitality industry needs help from the government. We're always talking about being the small guys, we're not massive chains. Maybe they're not in the same boat as us.
"With gas and electricity, there's nothing we can do to cut it down. You can't do anything about it. And you can't reduce staff either because you need to provide a good service for customers.
"We're sitting and waiting for things to change. That's what we hope for.
"Even though we're feeling the pinch with the economy and Brexit, our customers are loyal. They're still coming in and they do support us. But with the overheads, it's just not enough. That's what's hit us."
Christakis has been trading on Duke Street for four years and expanded with the Aigburth Road site in 2021.
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