A top restaurant in Melbourne has closed its doors after more than a decade as increasing expenses and the the cost of- iving crisis continue to hit Aussies hard.
Zeth Romanis served the final customer at his classy bistro Gauge, in Ormond, on Saturday afternoon after deciding to shut up shop.
The venue served items like eye fillet steak with Café de Paris butter and chips for $55 and Swordfish with sautéed kale for $43.
The restaurant was popular with locals who loved its up-market menu but he decided to call time on his business and say goodbye.
‘Thank you Ormond for all your support over the last 13 years, but it’s time for a break,’ Mr Romanis wrote on Instagram.
‘It has been a privilege being part of this community. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the journey from an espresso bar to a bistro.
‘Thank you to the staff who have helped shaped Gauge into what it has become today. Thank you to our suppliers, some of who we are fortunate to also have as customers.’
Mr Romanis explained that he believed Gauge had been adversely effected by interest rates as it was located in an affluent area with many nice – and expensive – homes nearby.
The restaurateur appeared on The Project on Monday night to discuss the pressures facing the hospitality industry.
‘The last couple of years have been very hard,’ he said.
‘Ultimately a business is driven by the bottom line. You can have awards and your customers can tell you your fantastic but if the bottom line isn’t working at some stage you have to say ‘enough is enough’.’
When asked how he was feeling he said: ‘It’s been an exciting week. Heaps of people have come in to say goodbye. I’m leaving the business in a bittersweet way with really fond memories of the final week.’
Mr Romanis said the fact he was actually closing only hit him when he served a regular for the last time over the weekend.
He said Gauge was not too badly affected by Covid because they did a roaring coffee trade and had around 400 customers a day, but after the pandemic ended the difficulty of hiring staff and increased food costs led to its demise.
But he said ‘hospitality is not all doom and gloom’, saying that he was ‘going to take more time for the family and reboot’.