Levanter, the much-loved Spanish restaurant in Ramsbottom, is to close. Owners Fiona and Joe Botham broke the terrible news via a short message on the restaurant’s website.
“Levanter is now closed,” they said. “Thank you to all our guests who have visited and supported us over the last nine years. We will miss you.”
It comes after it revealed it had been forced to close its spin-off bar and dining room space on Smithy Street in January this year, citing the cost of living crisis. They had only planned to ‘hibernate’ that part of the business, leaving the main part of the restaurant open, until the summer.
Read more: Chorlton cocktail bar closes its doors
They said at the time: “We've tried everything possible to avoid this scenario - but you know the script I'm sure the overall Cost Of Living & Cost of Doing Business situation, both (understandably) have seriously reduced demand & simultaneously led to huge rises in our costs from every angle - but undoubtedly & most seriously the UNTENABLE hike in energy prices.
“We could probably just about handle everything else but that's the killer blow. It's impossible to keep all our doors open for now.”
The restaurant posted the news on Instagram.
In the post, they said: "We're so sorry to confirm that Levanter is now closed. We could list all the reasons why but ultimately the high street, & suburbs hospitality in particular, is being so squeezed we cannot breathe or see a single sunlit upland.
"Huge thank you to all our loyal guests over the last 9 years, many of whom have sent us the most wonderful messages of support today.
"Thank you to our long-standing suppliers who we know are facing the same pressures as restaurants are. Love to all our beautiful team, so loyal, so hard working, we did our best xx."
The restaurant had been pleading with government, via its Twitter account, to do something to help, after their energy bills rose from £18,000 a year to a staggering £55,000 a year, tagging in Kier Starmer, Rishi Sunak and the official Downing Street account.
But to no avail.
The Bothams opened Levanter in 2014, after running a successful street food operation, dedicated to the style of cooking from northern Spain’s Basque Country. It quickly became a hit, with national critics heading there to sample its infamous dairy cow sharing steak, which many restaurants have followed since.
Though he missed out on the steak, The Observer’s Jay Rayner wrote in 2015: “Levanter Fine Foods is the kind of restaurant so many of us seek, where frill and pomp have been dispensed with in favour of feeding people well. I’ll be back for my slab of old moo cow shortly.”
The couple’s other project Baratxuri, which span off from Levanter, continues in the Peter Street food hall Exhibition.
Speaking about the closure, Manchester’s night time economy adviser Sacha Lord said: “Sadly, we have lost one of the best tapas bars, not just in Bury, but in the North. I’ve been in close contact with Levanter over the last few months, and if an operator like them have to close, it’s a desperately worrying sign for the next few weeks ahead.
“There are a few factors here, but ultimately, if Ofgem had done their job, we wouldn’t be reading about closures like this and The Glass Spider or Doctor Feelgood over in Stockport. Ofgems ineptness is an attack on my sector and one I’m not prepared to allow without at least fighting back. After The Times called Manchester out as the Capital of UK Nightlife this weekend, it makes you wonder how on earth other cities are getting on.”
Read more:
