Eighteen months ago, the prospect of Hang Fire - which won the accolade of Observer Food Monthly's Best Restaurant - permanently closing its doors would have been utterly unthinkable. But then came coronavirus and all of its ensuing complications, and on Thursday owners Sam and Shauna announced with "unbelievable sadness" that their Southern Kitchen in Barry would shut with immediate effect.
It's worth noting that Hang Fire's problems do not stem from the financial impact of extended periods of lockdown, any subsequent lack of business or the unpalatable phenomenon of no-shows, but from the inability to find and train sufficient staff to work in the kitchen. As Shauna told Wales Online, smokehouses like theirs have suffered acutely because they require skilled chefs, and lots of them. But the issue of staff recruitment and retention is (they suspect) industry-wide, with many people seeking employment in other sectors that are more stable and offer the promise of more sociable working hours, and it's something that many other establishments are going to have to successfully negotiate or die trying.
For Sam and Shauna, evidently, the strain was taking its toll, and - as much as the decision came as a horrible shock to myself and fellow Hang Fire fans - it's admirable that they've acknowledged the unsustainability of the situation and decided to bow out before their very high standards of quality and service were compromised. With various projects in the pipeline (including cookbooks, BBQ masterclasses and TV series), the "naturally positive and optimistic" pair are hardly going to be sitting idle - and it's to be hoped that the Southern Kitchen does indeed "rise like a phoenix in some other guise" sooner rather than later.
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