'The numbers no longer add up': Torquay restaurant the Bay shutters

Torquay restaurant the Bay held its last service on 1 March, less than two years after its refurbishment and relaunch.

The 50-cover restaurant, which boasted panoramic sea views, outdoor dining and a private function room, was relaunched as a more upmarket offering for tourists and locals in 2024 by entrepreneur Lewis Poulier.  

In a statement posted on Instagram, the restaurant said: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the Bay has officially closed its doors. The UK’s current hospitality sector has put pressure on all businesses from suppliers and consumers; the numbers simply no longer add up for an independent business like ours to sustainably operate.”

The Bay joins a growing number of restaurants which have closed in 2026 amid mounting cost pressures, including Warwickshire’s the Mount and Manchester’s Örme and TNQ sites.

Hospitality as a whole has shouldered £7b worth of additional taxes over the course of the last two Budgets. According to UKHospitality, closures across the sector could rise to as much as six per day in 2026, despite the pub-focussed rates relief unveiled by the government in January.