‘It breaks my heart:’ Owner of Whittlesey restaurant forced to close permanently due to cost of living crisis

A Whittlesey restaurant will be permanently closing in October due to “rising costs, overheads and the cost of living crisis”.

Chris Newman, the owner at Homme Nouveau restaurant, on Market Street, said he has been feeling the mental and emotional pressure of running a business in the current climate.

The fine dining restaurant first opened its doors in November 2019 and will be closing on October 29 this year after “weeks and months of stress, sleepless nights and tears.”

‘No worse feeling’

"This restaurant has been nothing but a dream for me all my career and life in hospitality,” Chris said in a Facebook post.

"A dream I was lucky to achieve through hard work, passion and determination.

“It will just not be sustainable to continue throughout the autumn and winter period. The last four to five months of down and quiet periods have taken its toll on me mentally and emotionally and I am not ashamed to say I don't have much more left in the tank to give.

"There is no worse feeling than standing in an empty restaurant with no customers or battling week on week to just break even.”

Chris continued to say that his mental health has been affected and he has been suffering from depression.

"It just isn't worth it anymore,” he said. “Being proactive and not reactive is incredibly important.

“It just breaks my heart things haven't gone as I had hoped. I believe I have tried everything but it just isn't working.

"Even though we are now in the summer, trade just isn't where it once was.”

Chris said he was proud of the “amazing highs” he has had while running the restaurant.

“I would like to thank all my customers since 2019 that I have cooked, served and welcomed.

"Many of you kept me in business during the first months of the pandemic.

"The next three months I will continue to keep offering the best I can for those that choose to dine here.”