A York restaurant has been closed and cleared out, leaving staff unemployed with no warning.
Estabulo, the Brazilian bar and grill, has been at Vangarde Retail Park since September 2020.
The restaurant has now been emptied of furniture and left with rubbish on the floor and drinks stacked at the bar.
The eatery closed on Sunday evening (27 October).
A letter that’s attached to the front door reads: “Estabulo management, sorry for any inconvenience, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we are currently closed”.
YorkMix spoke to a previous staff member of Estabulo, Douglas Addison, who told us what happened during the closure on Sunday.
He said, “The area manager came in as we were closing and said we’re permanently closed, about then 20 men came in and started taking everything out.
“A week ago the bailiffs were in while I was on shift and they were pricing everything up, from the flame grill to the ice machines, and we were told they would be back on 28th and all this was done on 27th.”
Douglas started working at the restaurant two months ago and worked seven days a week, as he was the only staff member who ran the salad bar.
After encountering the bailiffs on Sunday evening, Douglas was left unaware of what the future of his job looked like, until this morning.
At 9.50am today, he received an email from Sakku Limited, who own the restaurant chain Estabulo.
The email read: “Good afternoon. We regret to inform you that Estabulo York is now closed until further notice. As a result, we will not be able to offer you any more shifts.
“You will receive your final pay, along with any accrued annual leave and your P45, in December.
“We apologize for the short notice and wish you all the best! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Have a good day!”
It was signed by the HR Department of Sakku Ltd.
The ordeal has left Douglas stressed and concerned for the future of his colleagues.
He told YorkMix: “It’s very nearly Christmas so I’m stressed. I’ve 27 years’ experience so I’ll get something.
“It’s more the younger ones I feel for, we had kids working there as young as 16. It was their first job, a great way to start their career.”
Although the closure was unforeseen, Douglas revealed that staff had noticed signs leading up to it.
“Staff who had been there a little longer had said occasionally they were paid 3-4 days late.
“I know my GM who started at the same time as me worked as hard as possible to turn the place around, but he was forced to run a skeleton crew with no support,” Douglas told YorkMix.
On learning about the news via social media, some York residents said they had gift cards for the restaurant and another was booked in there on Christmas Day.
Being so close to the LNER Community Stadium, some York City fans see the closure as an opportunity for a club bar.
One commented: “Is this the ideal time and place for York City to get on the front foot and secure its own sports bar? Perfect proximity to the stadium and a good size!”
Estabulo has nine other sites across the UK, including Leeds, Darlington, and Durham.
No other sites are believed to be closing.