Burger chain Almost Famous has announced it will be closing its doors due to growing financial pressures becoming “stacked against us”- in the current economic climate.
With restaurants in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, they had gathered notoriety for their long queues and popular dripping sauce.
However, in a statement from co-founder Beau Myers, the chain said that they had been forced to close doors due to lingering debts from the Covid pandemic, rising costs across the business and a “tightening in people’s ability to spend on dining out”.
He added that the circumstances had created an “impossible situation” and that the decision had been made with “broken hearts and tearful eyes”.
“Ironically, while our venues remain busy and our reviews are glowing, the financial pressures stacked against us have made it impossible to sustain the business- making this scenario even more heart-breaking,” Mr Myers said.
Since first opening in 2012 in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, it had become a staple location among foodies and casual diners, and has served over a million burgers during its time in operation.
Mr Myers said that staff had “been like family to us” and he was “deeply sorry we couldn’t weather the storm for you”.
“Helping our team find new roles is our top priority right now,” he said.
“To everyone who’s been part of our story – thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
He added that he hoped one day the burger chain would be able to return and that they were exploring options on how to continue in some format.
On social media, fans of Almost Famous flooded their page with supportive messages, with one describing it as the “end of an era” while another wrote: “I know in the grand scheme of things it was “just a burger joint” but Almost Famous served some of the most remarkable burgers I’ve ever eaten.”
As a result of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, the hospitality sector has taken a noticeable hit in recent years with almost 10,000 licensed premises closing within the first year.
Data compiled and released in 2023 by the consultants CGA and AlixPartners found that 12 per cent of pubs, restaurants and bars in UK cities had closed since March 2020.
