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Rising costs lead to closure of Brighton restaurant (From The Argus)
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Rising costs lead to closure of Brighton restaurant
12:00pm Monday 4th March 2013 in News By John Keenan
Sam Metcalfe, who has announced Sam's of Seven Dials is closing
A landmark restaurant is closing its doors for good.
Sam Metcalfe and his team will serve up their last meal at Sam’s of Seven Dials later this month.
Mr Metcalfe, who opened the highend restaurant in 2001 on the site of a Burger King outlet, said he and his wife Lara want to focus on their Sam’s of Brighton restaurant in Kemp Town.
The restaurant in Buckingham Place will serve customers for the last time on March 24 and Mr Metcalfe, who owns the building, said he is looking for a new tenant.
He said: “We are the landlords. We own the building and we will continue to do so.
“I think the Seven Dials area is fine but I think the problem is the financial climate.
“Our food and staff costs have doubled since we opened but people these days are only prepared to pay half of what they would have done 10 years ago.
“We have tried to maintain a highend offer and that isn’t cheap.
“It’s also difficult to be in two places at once. I am a very hands-on chef. I will focus on Sam’s of Brighton, which is doing really well.
“Who knows who will take over the lease here? It will have to be someone with a lot of cash.
“I would like to see an independent business on the site but if it has to be one of the chains, then so be it.”
Olivia Reid, marketing manager at Terre a Terre in East Street, said the demise of the restaurant does not spell doom for other restaurants.
She said: “Independents can thrive in this climate. They can react quicker and change their menus.
“It is always going to be difficult in the restaurant business. Margins are not high and it is true that people want more for their money.
“But independent restaurants are the way forward.”
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Comments(25)
Plunge
says...
12:25pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:Hmmmmm.....dead animals...your making me hungry.
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Cave Johnson
says...
12:36pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:Lived round the corner for 7 years andit does have a poor choice for vegetarians, hence i've never been.
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
As for him owning the building and then saying whoever leases it will have to have a lot of cash, that is a dumb thing to say if he wants to make money from it. He's more likely to put people off. So by saying that then it might stay empty. And again if he owns the building then the only reason it will need someone with a lot of cash is because he WANTS a lot of cash.
george smith
says...
12:38pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Number Six
says...
12:45pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:I think it's against the law to serve live animals, unless you mean some of the customers. If you've got loads of them they must be popular
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Spanners
says...
12:46pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:I feel the same way about the proliferation of vegetarian restaurants. Went into food for friends once. I have a nut allergy and there was exactly ONE dish on entire menu I could eat. Always the same in these veggie restaurants. Dont care about anyone or anything other than their "moral" values. 15 quid for two mushrooms - jokers
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Horses for courses and all that.....but i like my food to have a face
Kiddon72
says...
12:56pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Selling up before the taking fall when the re development begins.
Pity the fool that takes over the premises
Crystal Ball
says...
12:57pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Spanners wrote:Did someone say horse? Neigh!
Angie Wright wrote:I feel the same way about the proliferation of vegetarian restaurants. Went into food for friends once. I have a nut allergy and there was exactly ONE dish on entire menu I could eat. Always the same in these veggie restaurants. Dont care about anyone or anything other than their "moral" values. 15 quid for two mushrooms - jokers
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Horses for courses and all that.....but i like my food to have a face
paul76
says...
1:27pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:Let us know where you are and how many of these loads of dead animals you have?
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Are they already in nice cuts such as sirloin and rump, or is it the whole dead animal?
Anyway, if the price is right I'm sure you will shift them all pretty quick.
Kiddon72
says...
1:52pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:If we aren't meant to eat dead animals. Why do they taste so nice ?
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
sunnysea
says...
3:05pm Mon 4 Mar 13
RustyJames
says...
3:19pm Mon 4 Mar 13
BiggerH
says...
3:23pm Mon 4 Mar 13
sunnysea wrote:The Dials is much nicer than the cramped Kemp Town establishment
Bring back the Burger King!
Food is v nice - but yes, for 21st century, pretty poor for vegetarians
Spanners
says...
4:17pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Kiddon72 wrote:And on the flip side - why does tofu taste so revolting
Angie Wright wrote: I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.If we aren't meant to eat dead animals. Why do they taste so nice ?
monkeymoo
says...
4:34pm Mon 4 Mar 13
The burger i just ate, was made from a vegetarian cow.
Best of both worlds!
kennydoit
says...
6:08pm Mon 4 Mar 13
BiggerH wrote:Yes, but I try not to eat vegetarians
sunnysea wrote:The Dials is much nicer than the cramped Kemp Town establishment
Bring back the Burger King!
Food is v nice - but yes, for 21st century, pretty poor for vegetarians
Telscombe Cliffy
says...
8:34pm Mon 4 Mar 13
Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit
says...
6:25am Tue 5 Mar 13
george smith wrote:Indeed. Don't they always say the three main factors for a successful restaurant are 'Location, location and location'? Stuck up there, out of the town centre in an old bank by a busy roundabout the only people who would ever use it would be locals, and if you want to go 'out out' to an expensive restaurant (which Mr Metcalfe admits it is) you usually want to make a bit of a night of it.
good food, unfortunely hopeless for parking
gingerman74
says...
8:14am Tue 5 Mar 13
Ihopenoonehasthisusername
says...
9:40am Tue 5 Mar 13
Angie Wright wrote:Sadly yes, so no loss. I ate there a few years ago - bland food, bland atmosphere.
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Phani Tikkala
says...
10:02am Tue 5 Mar 13
Greens take note
Ihopenoonehasthisusername
says...
11:10am Tue 5 Mar 13
Phani Tikkala wrote:They've been there for years so how has the parking only just become a problem?
Nice food .... nowhere to park nearby... restaurant closes, people lose their jobs.
Greens take note
If somewhere is that good people will make the effort. It's two bus stops from the station to get up there...
Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit
says...
4:10pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Ihopenoonehasthisuse" It's two bus stops from the station to get up there..." Exactly. If you're at the station and are prepared to go two bus stops there are more exciting areas within reach.
rname wrote:
Phani Tikkala wrote:They've been there for years so how has the parking only just become a problem?
Nice food .... nowhere to park nearby... restaurant closes, people lose their jobs.
Greens take note
If somewhere is that good people will make the effort. It's two bus stops from the station to get up there...
Angie Wright
says...
10:28pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Crystal Ball wrote:The selfishness of animal eaters never ceases to amaze me. there are umpteen cafes serving dead cow /pig/horse and goodness knows what else yet they still begrudge vegans their ten or so veggie cafes. Vegetarians eat lots of nuts so how unintelligent going to a veggie cafe with a nut allergy.
Spanners wrote:Did someone say horse? Neigh!
Angie Wright wrote:I feel the same way about the proliferation of vegetarian restaurants. Went into food for friends once. I have a nut allergy and there was exactly ONE dish on entire menu I could eat. Always the same in these veggie restaurants. Dont care about anyone or anything other than their "moral" values. 15 quid for two mushrooms - jokers
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
Horses for courses and all that.....but i like my food to have a face
Ballroom Blitz
says...
10:24am Tue 2 Apr 13
Angie Wright wrote:Wrong. There are plenty of vegetarian restaurants in Brighton, all serving the usual nut roast and other veggie nonsense.
I presume this restaurant served dead animals. We have loads of them so it will be no loss.The fewer the better.
What we really need in Brighton is a horsemeat restaurant! Delicious!
Angie Wright says...
12:21pm Mon 4 Mar 13