Three Joes confirms closure of Chichester and Fareham restaurants

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Sourdough pizza brand Three Joes has confirmed the closure of two sites including its original restaurant in Fareham as the group grapples with cost pressures.

The group’s Chichester restaurant has also permanently closed its doors, leaving Three Joes with three remaining locations in Winchester, Lincoln, and Meadowhall.

“We have made the difficult decision to close our Three Joes restaurants in Chichester and Fareham this week,” a spokesperson for the group said.

“Unfortunately, like many other restaurants in the current cost of living crisis, we have struggled to make these venues viable.

“We are hugely grateful to our team who have worked so hard, and we are talking to them about other opportunities within Three Joes. They have been paid in full and we are in consultation with them.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our lovely customers of Chichester, Fareham and beyond for their support and kindness.”

A further site on Cambridge's Bridge Street, which only opened in August last year, also appears to have closed, although there has been no confirmation of this from the group. 

Three Joes was founded in 2017 by Tim Hall, the founder of healthy fast food chain Pod; Peter Bruton, ex-founder of Byron; and Emma Blackmore, an ex-Pizza Express and Pret menu development and procurement specialist.

In its most recent financial statements for the year ended 1 January 2023, Sourdough South Limited, which trades as Three Joes, reported a loss before tax of £1.4m on revenue of £16.6m. This compares to a loss of £889,158 on revenue of £11.1m the year before.

The group also owns fellow pizza chain The Stable, which it acquired from Fullers for an undisclosed sum back in 2020. The Stable currently operates nine restaurants across the UK with locations in Bath, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Falmouth, Newquay, Plymouth and Winchester.