The owners of a Northumberland restaurant which took the crown on Come Dine With Me: The Professionals has closed after seeing its trade crippled in recent months.
Seafood restaurant Caboose, which was located in the Port of Blyth, attributes its 80% downturn in trade to the construction site of the new Energy Central Campus in Blyth, which has extended into the restaurant's car park. Though attempts were made to find a workable solution, Marc and Allison McPake have made the heart-breaking decision to close less than two months after the works started.
Marc says that he feels "angry, frustrated and let down" after Caboose came through the coronavirus pandemic, cost of living and energy crises only to fall due to what he describes as an "avoidable situation". The closure has resulted in 12 staff being made redundant with immediate effect.
However, stakeholders involved in the Energy Central Campus construction; Port of Blyth, Offshore Renewable Catapult, Northumberland County Council and Advance Northumberland; say that while the works have caused disruption, they do not accept responsibility for the business closing.
Marc said: "The pandemic was the biggest challenge any business has faced in a generation and we came through that strong because we were still able to take an element of control and we pivoted the business to make sure that we could still turn our trade and pay the bills and keep our lights on. The energy crisis has been a lot harder to navigate because we're relatively out of control with that.
"Nonetheless, we made decisions that have enabled us to keep going and cut our cloth to suit but when someone rocks up in your car park and pretty much closes access to your building and there's a full blown construction site within two metres of your front door, there's very little you can do about that."
The 41-year-old is attempting to re-employ some of the staff at sister restaurant The Olive Tree on Bowes Street in Blyth town centre, which Marc and Allison took over last year when it was named La Casa. The couple are also helping their staff to find alternative hospitality work in the area and have paid them a redundancy package out of their own pockets.
Marc continued: "We're working hard to try and get our staff something who have been fantastic. We'd be nothing without our staff - and the same goes for our customers too."
Paying tribute to customers who he described as "extremely loyal and very supportive", he said: "I would love to personally thank our customers from the bottom of my heart who have stuck with us from the beginning. If we could manage to retain some of the customers through our sister business the Olive Tree, I'll be very happy."
Despite everything, this may not be the last we see of Caboose in the North East. Marc believes that in its four years in Blyth, the restaurant has become and established and popular brand, with people travelling from all over Northumberland and Newcastle to the Come Dine With Me winning "destination" venue.
Marc continued: "At the moment we're felling a little bit sorry for ourselves and a little bit upset about things, but once we've come to terms with Caboose coming to an end in this premises, there are certainly aspirations to make sure that the brand continues somehow, somewhere. It'll certainly live on through the Olive Tree in the short term."
And he also hopes that "lessons will be learned" by both those working on the Blyth Central Energy Campus. Marc finished: "We knew the project had to happen, but it could have been handled better, that's the bottom line.
"The companies have to realise the impact of their actions. That's not going to be enough to save us but maybe lessons learned from this can be enough to save others.
"And I'd like to encourage people to get out and support local independent businesses too. We were considered one of the biggest and most successful in the area, so if it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone."
Energy Central Campus issued a joint statement on on behalf of all stakeholders saying they did not feel the works were responsible for the closure of Caboose.
A spokesperson said: "The Energy Central Campus (ECC) has been working closely with Caboose from the outset to minimise the impact on their trading during the construction of the Energy Central Learning Hub which commenced four weeks ago. ECC has had regular communication with Caboose, including discussion on the severe impact that various factors, including COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis, have had on the business before the works began in February.
"We are disappointed that the business has closed and recognise that the construction works outside of Caboose have caused some disruption recently. We, however, do not accept that the works are responsible for the business closing.
"Since the construction area was established, additional measures have been instigated to address concerns regarding car parking, hoardings and visibility with the restaurant’s direct input. Once complete, the Energy Central Learning Hub will bring further prosperity to the area and is likely to positively impact nearby businesses, including the Boathouse restaurant which will become part of a vibrant campus.
"We will continue to support and liaise with all neighbouring businesses and residents and greatly appreciate their patience whilst the works are undertaken."
Read next
