‘Wellington was once vibrant’: Pandoro shutting in latest blow to the capital

Friday, 6 September 2024

Pandoro Wellington has confirmed it’s shutting its business in the capital.

Owner Tony Beazley said the current economic climate as well as public sector cuts were to blame.

The announcement is the second Wellington eatery to close this week, after Egmont St Eatery said it was shutting too.

The owner of Pandoro Wellington has confirmed he’s shutting down the business, describing trade in the capital as “absolutely gutted” by the economic climate and mass redundancies in the public sector.

For 28-years, Tony Beazley served artisan bread and cakes to customers in Wellington, weathering the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, however he said he had no choice but to close, with business worse than it’s ever been.

“Wellington remained profitable and quite strong, but this has absolutely gutted it. There was a day on The Terrace where 2500 people were made redundant one Friday, we sold a lot of cakes, but we didn’t see anybody in the next Monday,” Beazley said.

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Consultation had just wrapped up with staff at the three bakeries in Wellington, with plans to pay wages, rent and creditors as long as he could, before closing down the sites. The decision to shut followed a failed attempt to sell the business last year.

“Because of the economic downturn and redundancies, nobody is interested in buying into the hospitality business right now. Our original bakery on Allen Street is absolutely flat because of the cycle lane and bus lanes coming off Cambridge Terrace,” he said.

Foot traffic had been killed off by the construction work, cycle and bus lanes near Wakefield Street, on the corner of his Allen Street bakery, with the once-busy street now virtually empty.

After nine years of serving Wellington, Egmont St Deli & Diner is closing its doors, yet another indicator of the constant blows hitting the city’s hospitality industry.

“Now I could sit out in the middle of it and have a picnic and not get run over. No one comes down this end of town. Courtenay Place is dead. So, yeah, so we’ve decided to shut the business,” he said.

More people working from home since the pandemic, as well as the cost of living crisis had also played a part in the decision, with running the business “too much hard work for no return”.

“Wellington was once vibrant on Courtenay Place and there were the Lord of the Rings being filmed, but all that stuff is not happening now and the people are just not here any more,” he said.

Earlier this week Egmont St Eatery said it too was closing down after nine years operating in the capital, adding to the long list of Wellington restaurants that have shut in recent years.

In a social media post, the popular eating joint thanked its customers for their support, but said the current economic climate had brought significant challenges and changes to the industry.

“We’re proud to have experienced many moments of joy, achievement, growth, resilience, tough decisions and change and we’re deeply grateful for the supportive customers and community we’ve had the pleasure of serving throughout our time here.”

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story suggested there were cycle and bus lanes on Wakefield Street. This has been clarified - they are on nearby Cambridge Terrace. (Amended at 2.45pm on September 9, 2024)