The Retail Apocalypse (Incorporating Casual Dining Closures)

This is the one at my closest train station in Newport

This is a place that tries to portray itself as some up market sandwich shop. Imagine being met with the sight of that when you're waiting for your train.

Vermilion wrote:
KK wrote:
Buffalo wrote:Never even heard of them. Maybe I should get out more.

If you don't find yourself in a hospital or large train station very often you can easily miss them.

I've never seen one in either of those locations.

There's one in Liverpool Street and Waterloo stations.

Birmingham New Street has one too

Frank wrote:Birmingham New Street has one too

I must have blinked and missed that one. :shifty:

Liverpool Lime Street also. They're very common.

Lime street is annoying because all the food places inside the station are overpriced and not great, but ordinary places to get a quick bite like Greggs or McDs are too far away from the station if you're waiting for a train.

Manchester Piccadilly is much better, Greggs literally outside the front door and several more places only a little further down the street.

Buffalo wrote:
KK wrote:
Buffalo wrote:Never even heard of them. Maybe I should get out more.

If you don't find yourself in a hospital or large train station very often you can easily miss them.

That’ll explain it. The only hospital I go to has a Subway instead.

Make a visit to St James in Boro, has a Costa and & M&S :datass:

gaminglegend wrote:
Buffalo wrote:
KK wrote:
Buffalo wrote:Never even heard of them. Maybe I should get out more.

If you don't find yourself in a hospital or large train station very often you can easily miss them.

That’ll explain it. The only hospital I go to has a Subway instead.

Make a visit to St James in Boro, has a Costa and & M&S

Assuming you can navigate the absolute maze the place has become. It's basically 3 or 4 entirely differently designed buildings bolted together with absolutely no logical layout.

gaminglegend wrote:
Buffalo wrote:
KK wrote:
Buffalo wrote:Never even heard of them. Maybe I should get out more.

If you don't find yourself in a hospital or large train station very often you can easily miss them.

That’ll explain it. The only hospital I go to has a Subway instead.

Make a visit to St James in Boro, has a Costa and & M&S

Yeah I’ve heard about that! They sell clothes and stuff in it as well, I think.

RIP another couple of bog-standard average food chains:

The owner of High Street restaurant chains Café Rouge and Bella Italia has gone into administration.

Ninety one Casual Dining Group outlets will close immediately, and 1,900 of the firm's 6,000 staff will lose their jobs.

Administrators Alix Partners are seeking offers for all or parts of the remaining business.

There have been thousands of job losses announced this week as the coronavirus continues to batter the UK economy.

Casual Dining Group, which also owns the Las Iguanas chain, said it hoped a new owner could save the firm.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53270679

I’ve been in a Bella Italia once. Can’t remember what I had though. Think it was pizza. Didn’t leave much of an impression, clearly.

Terrible to see so many people losing their jobs.

Café Rouge was always a solid option when taking kids out for a meal but I wouldn't really have chosen it for any other outing than that.

They did a nice steak baguette which was usually my go to option

I remember the Bella Italia in Covent Garden being pretty good although I ate at the one in Southend and it was very meh. Rouge was good back in the day but seems to have gotten worse.

That's a shame. We went to Bella Italia a couple of times in the last year as you got a discount with a Cineworld card.

I liked Cafe Rouge

I thought they were already in Admin. Or a CVA.

Been circling for a while like. I can’t find a list of the 90 or so stores that have closed but see the Newcastle ones have

Vermilion wrote:I liked Cafe Rouge

Me too. Very harshly looked down on by snobs, but genuinely decent food at reasonable prices. Hopefully my locals will survive.

gaminglegend wrote:I thought they were already in Admin. Or a CVA.

Been circling for a while like. I can’t find a list of the 90 or so stores that have closed but see the Newcastle ones have

Full list here. You have to scroll past a load of ads and gooseberry fool. Two of my three locals are gone. Fuckit.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... 531711.amp

rinks wrote:
gaminglegend wrote:I thought they were already in Admin. Or a CVA.

Been circling for a while like. I can’t find a list of the 90 or so stores that have closed but see the Newcastle ones have

Full list here. You have to scroll past a load of ads and gooseberry fool. Two of my three locals are gone. Fuckit.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... 531711.amp

[irrelevant rant]Is it really too much trouble for the news outlets publishing these lists to put them into alphabetical order? [/irrelevantrant]

Lagamorph wrote:
rinks wrote:
gaminglegend wrote:I thought they were already in Admin. Or a CVA.

Been circling for a while like. I can’t find a list of the 90 or so stores that have closed but see the Newcastle ones have

Full list here. You have to scroll past a load of ads and gooseberry fool. Two of my three locals are gone. Fuckit.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... 531711.amp

[irrelevant rant]Is it really too much trouble for the news outlets publishing these lists to put them into alphabetical order? [/irrelevantrant]

I was just thinking that when I read it, even worse is they probably lifted it from a PR document who also couldn't be arsed

Edit - I was reading comments on a few social medias under articles about this where this was the first place staff found out. That's disgusting

Both chains fall under the "absolutely fine if I'm paying with Clubcard vouchers" category, but I'd hesitate about spending actual money in them. Bella Italia in particular was always a "meh, that filled a hole" experience (context bait) when I'd have one before going to the cinema, back when it wasnt an £9,750 evening out.

The Retail Apocalypse (Incorporating Casual Dining Closures)

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