The restaurant opened six years ago thanks to a record-breaking £100,000 Crowdfunder
Kala Bistro on King Street in Manchester(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Renowned chef Gary Usher has closed his acclaimed Manchester city centre eaterie Kala with immediate effect in a shock announcement today.
The restaurant first opened on King Street six years in a blaze of publicity after a record-breaking £100,000 Crowdfunder appeal was launched by chef Gary.
In a statement announcing the closure on Tuesday evening, Gary said it had always been his “dream” to open in Manchester city centre, but said he was “so sorry I couldn’t create something with longevity”.
He said: “It’s with a heavy heart that I announce the immediate closure of Kala. I’m not really sure how to explain why we’ve closed other than we weren’t busy enough to cover our costs.
“I really really want to blame the economy and the pandemic. I really want to say the rising costs have made it impossible.
“All those factors haven’t helped but we are 50% down in trade at Kala and that is the killer.
“It goes without saying our business rates increasing substantially and the hike in National Insurance contributions only work against us.”
In the heartbreaking statement he added: “It was always a dream to have a restaurant on King Street in Manchester. I just wish it had lasted longer than 6 years.
Gary Usher has announced shock news – the closure of Kala in Manchester(Image: MEN Media)
“Thank you to all the team past and present I’m so sorry to all of you and all the guests that I couldn’t create something with longevity.”
Gary’s Elite Bistros Group also owns Hispi in Didsbury, Sticky Walnut in Hoole, Cheshire and his own bakery Usher’s Bakehouse, which last month secured a £50,000 Kickstarter boost to buy a new bread oven.
He ended his statement by saying: “Please come and visit us in Didsbury at Hispi where it will be our pleasure to welcome you. Farewell King Street. Farewell Kala.”
Shocked Kala staff were told on Tuesday of the immediate closure in a company-wide email.
One ex-staff member who did not wish to be named said: “It feels like no one had any warning of this, it’s such a shock.”
Gary has also confirmed: “This was not planned, but neither was us being this quiet in June. All the Kala team will be paid up to date, our rent and suppliers too. If you have a voucher with us as always it can be used in the wider group.”
The city centre restaurant was launched to much acclaim in 2019, after customers helped Gary to crowdfund a record-breaking £100,000 in 11 hours by paying for meal vouchers and other perks up front to launch Kala.
The Elite Bistros team took on the former Whistles fashion store on King Street to become a stylish split-level 65-cover dining space.
In recent times, seating was also set up outside to make the most of the sun-trap terrace outside on King Street.
Kala has closed its doors for good in Manchester – pictured on Tuesday, June 24
But Gary has told the MEN that with bookings down 50 per cent in June, it meant he had no choice but to close the venue.
He said: “We’ve had all of these rising costs around us, but that’s not the killer, over the last couple of months we’ve been 50% down, people were not coming. I take full responsibility for that, I’ve obviously not produced a restaurant that enough people want to come to.
“We were looking at four people booked on a Saturday night, people vote with their feet. I’m unbelievably proud of the team, but for whatever reason June was 50 per cent down. I have responsibility as a director to not run a business insolvently, we have to reach a point to say we have to act, there’s a level of acceptance to say it’s not working.”
He said he understood there would be “shock, anger and looking for blame” among staff but said: “I completely emphasise I feel terrible that this has happened. We’ve made sure every single member of the team will be paid for everything they’re owed.
“I’ve been pretty open about the struggles over the past few years, I’ve done everything I can to adapt, innovate and bring new revenue in, it’s working really well in a lot of the group, but in others it hasn’t.”
In January, the Elite Bistro group’s sister site in Heswall, Burnt Truffle, also closed.
Gary confirmed at the time that he was not renewing the lease on the property as “the honest truth is I’ve never been able to make it work here, I’ve been quite vocal about how difficult the government have made it over the last few years but ultimately I’ve never been able to make it work here.
“The best business decision for us is to close.”