A Dublin sandwich shop that catered to vegans has announced it will be closing all of its branches after failing to find an investment partner to help with rising costs.
The Vegan Sandwich Co, which closed its Rathmines shop in August, has announced that it will completely close down and shut the doors of its Stephens Green and Smithfield shops. They said it's due to the recent closure of the Rathmines location after only three months in business factored in with rent rising in Stephen's Green and costs of electricity and ingredients going up.
It's just the latest award winning eatery to shut in Dublin this week - the company most recently won the Irish category of the UberEats Restaurant of the Year competition. It follows the closure of Circa in Terenure despite its Michelin Bib Gourmand award.
Read more: All the Dublin restaurants, cafes and pubs that have sadly closed in recent weeks
In a statement on Twitter, the owner of Vegan Sandwich Co said: "The last few months have truly been some of the most difficult since we started trading and I am so sorry to say that both Vegan Sandwich Co stores are now closed. Between opening and closing Rathmines, our rent doubling in Stephen’s Green, energy prices going through the roof and weekly increases in our ingredients costs, it’s just not possible for us to keep going any longer.
"I have been trying so hard to find the right investment partner to create the kind of business I know that Vegan Sandwich Co has the potential to be but unfortunately, time has run out. Anyone who has visited any of our stores knows that we have the best staff of anywhere in this city, so to them I need to say a huge thank you. It’s thanks to all of our staff, past and present, that we have managed to achieve everything we have to date."
They continued: "To our current staff, I am so sorry, but I know you are all going to go on to great things and I will do my best to help you get there in any way that I can. If there is anyone out there looking for some incredible staff at all levels, let me know and I will put you in touch. To all our customers - you truly are the lifeblood of our business. I have never seen such a dedicated following, ready to support us from Honest2Goodness Market, a doorway during covid, in SuperValu or in one of our stores.
"To my parents - thank you for always believing in me, as well as supporting me in making tough decisions when things go wrong. To Rob - thank you for being there for all the successes and all the times I’ve come home needing a shoulder to cry on. I am obviously heartbroken at this outcome but still so proud of everything we have achieved. Hopefully I'll see you all again somewhere soon."
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