Sacha Lord has long been vocal about the Government’s treatment of hospitality in the UK – and it appears that the last closure in the region has really tugged at his heart strings (and flipped his rage switch).
The Night Time Economy Adviser has demanded a general election after learning of the closure of a popular neighbourhood restaurant in Droylsden.
He said that the news that Industry, which had been at the heart of the Tameside town’s regeneration, had shut down was ‘heartbreaking’.
The restaurant and bar said that they can no longer stomach the ‘crippling’ costs of running a business in 2023 – from energy bills to VAT increases – without charging customers ‘extortionate prices’.
The team behind Industry said it was a decision that hadn’t been made lightly and that they were ‘devastated’ to have to close their doors.
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The restaurant had even managed to survive a turbulent first year after opening in 2020 – and we all know what went down then.
Sacha has slammed the current Government once again for their lack of support for hospitality businesses.
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He said that the Tories are allowing ‘communities to break up and High Streets to fall apart’.
The Parklife boss wrote on Twitter: “Heartbreaking. I met the team at Industry last year, they were lovely. Again, citing Energy as a factor. This Gov’t don’t care about Hospitality. Under their watch communities are breaking up, our High Streets are falling apart. We urgently need a General Election.”
Heartbreaking. I met the team at Industry last year, they were lovely.
Again, citing Energy as a factor.
This Gov’t don’t care about Hospitality.
Under their watch communities are breaking up, our High Streets are falling apart.
Droylsden restaurant Industry’s full statement said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts we have to say that Industry has closed its doors for the final time.
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“Industry started as an idea between three friends of opening a nice little bar where you could have a drink and get a bite to eat….the reality became so much bigger than that and exceeded all of our expectations.
“Opening at the height of a global pandemic was an enormous challenge and we had so many hurdles to jump just to stay open. In our first year, we were only allowed to open 5 months out of 12 but we powered through because we believed in our vision.
“Since then, plenty of blood, sweat and tears, from both us and our incredible team, has gone in to making Industry what it has been to date. Sadly, crippling energy bills, spiralling overheads, lack of government support and VAT/tax increases have made our ‘little’ idea unsustainable, without having to charge extortionate prices.
“Please do not think that this is a decision which has been made lightly. We are devastated and we would be grateful if any negative comments could be kept away. We know we haven’t been perfect, but we can assure you that we always tried our best without any regrets.
“Thank you to all our customers for your support over the last few years. Seeing people come in and enjoy what we created has been the best part of this whole experience.
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“Last but by no means ever least, thank you to all of our amazing team, both past and present. We are forever grateful for your hard work, dedication and loyalty to us and to Industry. Mike, Paul and Andrew.”
Featured image: Industry Droylsden
Tameside
Ornella’s Kitchen, the tiny Italian where people wait MONTHS for reservations, teases new restaurant
Daisy Jackson
Ornella’s Kitchen, the tiny Italian restaurant where people will happily wait months to book table, has teased the arrival of a new restaurant.
The cosy spot has been doing a roaring trade in Denton, where just a handful of tables are squashed in around the deli counter.
Here you’ll find arguably the best pasta dishes in the region, from pistachio carbonara to short rib and parmesan gnocchi.
And Ornella’s Kitchen has become so popular it’s now nigh-on impossible to get a booking unless you like to plan really, really far ahead (or do what we did and eat lunch at 11.30am).
Today, the beloved Tameside restaurant has teased an expansion and a new location, with a post debuting ‘Ornella’s Little Kitchen’.
That’s pretty much all the info they’re willing to part with at this stage, promising more details next week.
Ornella’s Kitchen has teased a new restaurantThe size of the existing Ornella’s Kitchen
But fans are very quickly speculating on where the new Ornella’s Kitchen could be.
Many are calling for the restaurant to open up in popular foodie neighbourhoods like Stockport, or Prestwich.
And others (us included) don’t care where they go, as long as it gives us twice as many chances at booking a table.
Ornella’s Kitchenall started as a lockdown project for Ornella Cancila, where customers would come and collect carefully-made Sicilian dishes from a bench outside her home.
And now it’s grown to be one of those local spots that Tameside residents are proud of, and everyone else in Greater Manchester is jealous of.
Giuseppe’s – the tiny Italian bistro that proves Stalybridge is fast becoming a dining destination
Daisy Jackson
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge is a restaurant that’s putting in an enormous amount of effort to please just a very small group of people – this teeny tiny bistro has just 18 seats.
With such a small capacity no one would blame them for sitting back and scaling back to a concise little menu of pizza – but Giuseppe’s really said ‘no grazie’ to such an idea and committed itself to a full bistro menu.
It’s yet another exciting addition to the rapidly-booming restaurant scene here in Tameside, where neighbours include Cafe Continental, Gladstone Barber & Bistro, and SK15 Bar & Bistro.
Giuseppe’s arrival on the Stalybridge high street has created a cosy corner for locals, one which could quickly follow in the footsteps of Ornella’s to become a fully-booked-for-months-in-advance destination.
Inside its welcoming navy blue walls you’re welcomed by a room filled with trailing plants, ceramic lemons and a huge doodle map of Sicily.
The menu also hails from Sicily, specialising in wood-fired pizzas but also dipping a toe into pasta and small plates too.
Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in StalybridgeA spread of dishes at Pizza at Giuseppe’s Italian bistro in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pizza dough is meticulously made fresh with Italian 00 flour, left to ferment for at least 48 hours, before being stretched and topped and cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven until it’s all puffed-up and charred around the edges.
At lunch times, those delicious pizza doughs are folded in half to make Italian panozzi sandwiches, the charred dough encasing fillings like Sicilian fennel sausage and friarelli, and mortadella with stracciatella.
These are strong contenders for the best pizzas this side of Greater Manchester, with a soft and chewy crust that stands up against much bigger names in the pizza game.
Rum baba at Giuseppe’sThe team at Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge
Giuseppe’s pasta bowls include a hearty paccheri with Sicilian sausage AND guanciale, all salty and rich and creamy.
And once you’ve eaten your fill in this tiny little spot, where the windows go all steamed up in winter and you’re nudging up against neighbours chatting over pizzas, you can polish off with Italian desserts too.
There’s a very respectable slab of tiramisu on offer, plus a rum baba soaked in syrup and packed with fresh cream.
Giuseppe’s in Stalybridge may be small in capacity but it’s huge on spirit.