One of Ayrshire's trendiest restaurants has announced its shock closure this morning.
The SMOKEHOUSE Barbeque in Ayr's Alloway Place blamed the "current economic climate" for its decision to shut permanently.
New Year's Eve will be the last day of trading for the eaterie, which also boasts Scotand's biggest barbqeue for special occasions.
The gigantic 12ft tall grill is big enough to cook a full cow.
And hungry meat eaters have been packing out the venue since it opened in 2020.
But bosses today said they had taken the "difficult decision" to shut up shop.
A statement on their Facebook page said: "We have made the difficult decision that with the current economic climate SMOKEHOUSE Barbecue Restaurant will be closing down .
"It has not been an easy decision to make and anyone that knows us knows how much we love the place .
"We would like to thank all our customers and the support that we have received over the past few years .
"New Year's Eve will be our LAST day so if you want to get your last BBQ fix we recommend you book as soon as possible."
We told earlier this month how the venue had shot to number one on Ayr's TripAdvisor rankings.
Owner John Wyllie said at the time: "I’ve always been into barbecuing. There’s nothing better than cooking on fire.
“People always say barbecue starts in America but it doesn’t- it starts everywhere in the world."
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