The Dore Grill: Owners react to avalanche of goodwill which came too late to save it

That’s the view of owners Liz Muino and husband Neil, aged 59, who shut the famous Dore Grill on Church Lane after 35 years with the loss of seven jobs.

Hundreds took to social media to express shock and sadness and share details of amazing times there. Residents were proud to have a ‘well-established, independent restaurant in the village’, Neil added. But sentiment doesn’t pay the bills.

Liz said custom never recovered from Covid and this year it halved - while the cost of energy doubled.

The restaurant was big on quality, cooking from scratch and customer service. But the couple said they had seen a big increase in people who only visited occasionally.

Liz added: “We used to have a lot of regular customers from the village who would come during the week and have lunch or dinner. We invested in a refurbishment and then Covid hit and the numbers fell away. And now people can’t afford to go out or they go to chain restaurants where it is cheaper.”

The Dore Grill’s December menu had starters for an average of £8 and mains for £18, with an 8oz fillet steak at £25.50.

Neil added: “We became a destination for birthdays and parties and wedding anniversaries - all one-offs. We needed people in every day. We saw all the well-wishers' messages after we closed. And people were proud to have a well-established, independent restaurant in the village. You can say all you want on your computer but you have to come to keep the place open.”

Liz’s parents Jose and Dolores set up the business and for many years it was high-end silver service ‘with flambés at the table’.

She added: “It’s sad, 35 years takes a bit of time to get over. We don’t know what is happening yet. But this will happen to a lot of places.”

In a final website message they sign off championing independents.

'Once they have gone they are not coming back. Those boarded up shops and businesses in your town reduce your choices dramatically. It will be Asda, Lidl, and Wetherspoons and very little else'.

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