Egmont St eatery closing after ‘significant challenges and changes’
Wednesday, 4 September 2024
Wellington’s Egmont St Deli & Diner is closing at the end of September after nine years, citing “significant challenges and changes”.
The impending end for the award-winning central city eatery was announced in a social media post with a “severely heavy heart”.
“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.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to all of our suppliers and service providers, whom without your partnership and loyalty, we would never have made it this far.”
Owner Simon Pepping told The Post on Wednesday despite a recent rebrand, “it just didn’t work out” ‒ punters didn’t have a the cash to spend. The catering business will remain open.
“We were hoping WOAP [Wellington on a Plate] would give us a boost but it just delayed the inevitable. Our revenue was down 56% last week compared to the week before during WOAP.”
In June, he told The Post hospitality was in survival mode, with operators driven to the brink by a combination of food inflation, staff shortages, soaring interest rates, and patchy customer demand.
Restaurant Association figures show first-quarter trading in Wellington was down 5.53% compared to 2023, with an additional 11.84% decline when comparing the first quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2023.
Food prices have risen by almost 7% and the cost of dining out has also continued to rise, increasing by 7.2% over the last 12 months.
In the June interview, Pepping said his mental health was “shattered”.
“In the past I’m like, ‘no, we’ll be right’, and we’ve always bounced back. We’ve always done well. But I have struggled to be optimistic about business over the last couple of years.
“There was a period there where the restaurant was full noise. Catering was really busy. And I had seven bakers working overnight. That stuff's gone. I don’t have any bakers any more.
“We ripped the business apart as soon as we went into lockdown. We made some massive changes then, thinking things would just go back to where they were, but they’ve never gone back.”
As customers became more cautious about their spending high end dining had also taken a hit, meaning head chefs and other key staff required for a la carte service were almost impossible to find.
“That market has gone. I mean I don’t go out for dinner, I can’t afford it.”
Marisa Bidois, chief executive of the Restaurant Association, said the closure of any well-loved eatery was always a blow, not just for the owners and staff, but for the entire community.
“While these are difficult times for many, we remain optimistic that as we head into 2025, we’ll see an improvement in trading, particularly with summer bringing increased foot traffic and opportunities for businesses to recover.”