A city centre restaurant will close for good in two days’ time.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen on Lendal, York, shuts its doors on Wednesday (3 April) at 3pm.
The restaurant has been there since 2007. But earlier this year the chain got into difficulties.
Owned by South African-based Famous Brands, GBK entered in to a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) in December – a mechanism which helps insolvent companies stay trading.
It then closed 24 restaurants around the country. But in a statement last month, Famous Brands said sales were increasing, raising hopes that no more branches would be shut.
Sudden decision
But a press spokeswoman for the company told us that GBK was refusing to comment.
The decision to close the Lendal restaurant was taken quite suddenly. GBK York had signed up to be part of York Restaurant Week, which began today (1 April) only to withdraw just days ago.
It has mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5.
Some praised its “great burgers” while others criticised the service and atmosphere.
The closure of GBK York will leave a big gap on Lendal. It means the nearest branch of the burger joint will be in Sheffield.
While a number of shops have closed in York city centre in recent months, the bar and restaurant sector has been growing.
Fiesta Latina on on Clifford Street shut last November when the premises was sold for flats.
But more eateries are in the pipeline – York’s first cat café is due to open soon, following hard on the heels of vegan outlet Once Across The Garden on Church Street.