Lussmanns closes permanently its Tring restaurant in ‘extremely challenging' conditions

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Sustainable fish and grill restaurant Lussmans will close permanently its Tring restaurant from lockdown, citing the ‘extremely challenging and uncertain’ conditions in the hospitality sector as the reason.

Located in beautiful former bank, the 70-cover restaurant became the fifth in the group when it opened in the spring of 2017 following a three-month refurbishment project.

The restaurant was described by the company as one of its ‘most creative renovation projects’ and featured a ground floor dining area with views into the kitchen, a mezzanine level with views over a glass balcony and a wood-panelled private dining room situated in the former bank manager’s office.

“Our staff have worked very hard to provide a safe and enjoyable dining experience since the national lockdown ended. However, current restrictions, the 10pm curfew and the possibility of further local measures require us to make hard choices,” the group says.

It adds that as a sustainable business its restaurants operate on very tight margins and says it “has to accept that reopening Tring is not viable”.

During the national lockdown, the business turned one its St Albans restaurant into a dark kitchen to produce meals to cook at home, with founder Andrei Lussmann how he turned his restaurant group of 30 years into an e-commerce business within 30 hours.

Last year Lussmanns became the first restaurant group in the country to offer a menu that is 100% Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified.

All the Tring staff have been reassigned to the group’s other five restaurants, which are located in Harpenden, St Albans, Hitchin, Hertford and Oxford.