Roger Hickman announces closure of Norwich restaurant

Roger Hickman is to close his eponymous Norwich restaurant at the end of March and has warned it’s “almost impossible for small businesses to survive” under current trading conditions.

The chef opened the restaurant in Norwich’s Upper St Giles in February 2010 and it has since won three-AA-rosettes and a recommendation in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland.

Hickman said: "It’s been an extraordinary journey, but after 15 years, I’ve decided it’s time to put the restaurant on the market for sale. The industry has changed dramatically, and so have the ways in which people dine. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I feel it’s the right moment to move on."

The chef said he had taken the decision in the face of the “significant challenges” being faced by the industry.

"The cost of living crisis, skyrocketing utility bills, and rising costs of produce and materials have made it increasingly difficult to operate," he added.

"These pressures have forced menu prices to rise, but at the same time, customers simply don’t have the resources to dine out as often as they’d like. With fewer bums on seats and ever-increasing expenses, it’s become almost impossible for small businesses to survive."

Before opening the restaurant, Hickman had worked on the same site when it was Adlard’s restaurant. He then worked at the Victoria in Holkham on the Norfolk coast before returning to the city to open the venue in his own name.

His restaurant, which offers both tasting and a la carte menus, is recommended by the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland for its "modern, intricate" cooking that inspectors said "displays respect for ingredients’ natural flavours".

Hickman said he will continue to work in hospitality, focusing on “a few different projects and investments”.

He added: “I’ll also continue to offer personal private dining services in customers homes and, until the sale goes through, I will make the restaurant and its private dining room available for private hire and special events.”

A number of public special events will also be held ahead of the restaurant’s final service on Sunday 30 March.

The closure will see those working at the restaurant made redundant but Hickman said he will support his “exceptional team” to secure new roles in the industry.