Restaurateurs left ‘heartbroken’ as energy crisis forces closure

The owners of Hoba Kebab in Bristol have said they are “heartbroken” but “have to accept our reality” after announcing that spiralling energy costs have left them with no choice but to close their restaurant.

Hoba, which was inspired by the kebabs of Berlin, started as a market stall in 2017 and went on to hold a series of pop-ups before opening a bricks and mortar site at Bristol Harbourside this year. In May it featured on BBC Two's Britain's Best Takeaways.

Announcing its closure on Instagram the owners said: “From starting off as a little market stall years ago, through our pop-up years to opening up our beautiful restaurant in the city centre, Hoba has been a wonderful success. It’s been the most mad journey filled with love, fun and tears, and a heck of a lot of kebabs.

“But sadly Hoba has been hit hard by the energy crisis. Despite all the advice, negotiations and battles we’ve fought we cannot find a way to move past our situation and absorb these costs. Not only this, the coming months are looking so hard for hospitality with rising costs from suppliers and the cost of living crisis affecting public spending. All things considered, we’ve come to the conclusion that we have to close.

“Simply, we’ve had the rug pulled from under us. We have survived and thrived throughout our life, adapting and evolving, growing Hoba into something magical and greatly loved. We even made it on the blooming telly! We couldn’t have asked for a more special, hardworking, loyal team who were the heart of Hoba. We are heartbroken, Hoba was a dream come true – we can’t imagine a life without it. But this energy crisis has happened and we have to accept our reality.”

Hoba Kebab joins a list of venues to have closed their doors in response to rising costs, including the Red Cup Café in Harrow which closed after seven years this month, blaming a rise in rent and energy bills.

Earlier this week the Treasury confirmed that an announcement on the energy price support to be given to businesses after March 2023 had been delayed until 2023.