RENOWNED Mildura restaurant The Spanish Grill will not reopen its doors when restrictions ease in coming weeks.
Owner Ryan Casey told Sunraysia Daily on Sunday this year’s lockdowns had been the final nail in the coffin for the business.
“If the pandemic hadn’t happened we probably would have still been there,” he said.
“It’s a combination of everything, really, but the lockdowns are the things that bring everything to a head.
“The hardest decision I’ve had to make is to close what I think is probably the best restaurant in town, with the best reputation.”
Mr Casey made the decision early last week, after running The Spanish Grill for five years, and announced the closure on the weekend.
With The Spanish Grill closed, Mr Casey will concentrate on making sure “there’s people falling out the doors” at his other popular Mildura eatery, Stefano’s Café, as restrictions ease. Many of the staff from The Spanish Grill will also be redeployed to work at that business, while others have already found work elsewhere.
Mr Casey said the loss of the fine dining venue would be felt keenly not just among staff, but among residents and visitors to Sunraysia.
“I feel sadness for the community because I know that people really like going there,” he said.
“They like taking their family there, and it’s a special occasion place, and it’s a place where business people go to take customers and clients, so I’m sad for them … but some things just have their time.
“I’m excited by the prospect of somebody else going in there and doing something and adding to the town’s dining scene.”
Despite receiving business support over the past 18 months, Mr Casey said it wasn’t enough to keep the large restaurant afloat, especially given low caps on diners are set to continue until at least November.
“The Job Keeper scheme was lifesaving. What’s continued on since has been difficult,” he said.
“Margins are very tiny in food, and you need volume if your margins are tiny. When your volume is restricted and your business has been closed for six months the numbers start to add up.
“There is no amount of support that’s going to be enough when your business is shut. What you need is customers and that’s what we can’t have.”
