Choppy waters for city’s famed dining-out scene

MANy restaurateurs could be forgiven for thinking what next? As if the Covid pandemic, rocketing wage inflation, Brexit-related staff shortages, spiralling rents, ingredient costs and energy bills weren’t enough, now their customers are being hit by a cost-of-living crisis that will potentially depress consumer confidence and hit spending on luxuries such as dining out.

Restaurants, pubs and bars in places from Bath to Bridgwater and from Brockworth to Blandford Forum face incredible challenges to survive and thrive in 2023.

Many face common issues and while the best operators usually find a way to emerge from tough economic times, we will undoubtedly lose some quality venues this year.

One key part of Bristol’s dining scene though is also being hit by the prolonged closure of the vital bridge used by a substantial part of its customer base to access the site.

Wapping Wharf has transformed Harbourside dining and drinking in the West’s biggest city since it opened in 2016.

Here we focus on how the independent businesses there are coping with the additional uncertainty surrounding the reopening of Gaol Ferry Bridge.

What started off as a pop-up back in 2016 behind the M Shed, Wapping

Wharf has become an integral part of Bristol, home to dozens of independent businesses housed snugly inside shipping container units Cargo 1 and 2.

It’s become a popular food destination, housing some of the most highly regarded restaurants in the city, including Tare, Gambas and Root. The shipping containers – which now enter their seventh year – were always intended to be a temporary structure, and were earmarked for a new 12-storey development back in June 2022, news that divided Cargo fans at the time.

In a tough economic climate, Wapping Wharf has the particular difficulty of dealing with the closure of Gaol Ferry Bridge on August 22, 2022.

More than five months later it is still unclear when it will reopen – with Bristol City Council refusing to give a firm reopening date due to the nature of the £1 million-plus restoration of the bridge.

Businesses reported a loss in footfall of 7,000 people per day when the footbridge first closed, with the alternative routes over Vauxhall Bridge and Bedminster Bridge adding around 20 minutes to journeys for those walking from South Bristol.

Speaking on the bridge closure, owner of Squeezed burger bar, Alex Hayle, said: “It’s definitely impacted us without a shadow of a doubt. The front door as we call it has diminished quite a lot and we’re only looking back over the last few years of trade.

“We’re doing quite well on delivery but definitely as it’s got colder and darker from November until now I imagine it won’t recover until into the spring. It’s been hard, there have been a lot of closures on Wapping Wharf.”

Mr Hayle said he was grateful for the support from the owners of Wapping Wharf and the customers willing to travel. “I wouldn’t expect people to travel an extra 20 minutes when it’s cold and raining,” he added.

The hospitality industry has taken a huge hit in the past few years, starting with forced closures during various lockdowns. Those businesses who survived the pandemic sub sequently faced a new challenge as the cost-ofliving crisis enveloped the UK.

As a result of spiralling costs, Wapping Wharf has had to say farewell to many longstanding members of its close-knit community, which has been alarming for other traders. The loss of Woky Ko marked the first business in a wave of food outlets to announce its closure in November – shutting both of its sites within a month of each other.

The news came as a huge shock to fans – the Bristol restaurant group had four sites and had only just reopened its flagship site on Queens Road with sights set on a fifth restaurant in Birmingham. Founder Larkin Cen, pictured below, cited spiralling costs and the closure of the Gaol Ferry Bridge as contributing factors for the closure of three restaurants, including two in Wapping Wharf. Another alarming announcement was the Somerset-based Wild Beer brewery falling into administration at the end of 2022, plunging the fate of the Wapping Wharf taproom into doubt. Earlier this month parts of the brewery business were saved by Kent-based Curious Brewery.

In December, Wapping Wharf veterans Oliver’s called time on their ice cream shop and, most recently, Jigaraki closed its doors after more than two years at the site.

All these closures signpost new challenges for the hospitality industry with rising costs, wage increases and staffing issues. This paired with customers becoming more conscious of spending makes it difficult for many restaurants, pubs and bars to make a profit in this climate and in a period that is typically very quiet for hospitality.

Amid these closures, Cargo also saw a flurry of new arrivals in December 2022, which gives renewed hope for the area. Larkin Cen announced he would be opening a new restaurant concept in one of his old units in Cargo 1.

“I reflected back on when Cargo first opened and I always said that I wanted an everyday price point serving great food in a casual setting. I think this ethos is more relevant than ever,” he said.

Daily Noodles is an authentic Chinese noodle bar serving hot dishes and bao, harking back to what Woky Ko used to offer when it first opened. The restaurant was joined by Tare’s new food and wine bar, Picole, which moved into a rooftop site in Cargo 2.

East Bristol Bakery also took over the former Bakers & Co site, expanding from their original bakery in Easton. Herbivore, which is possibly the world’s smallest vegan deli, also set up shop in what was John Kelly 1880+ as the appetite for