The Ollerod in Dorset to close restaurant amid rising costs

The Ollerod in Beaminster, Dorset, is to close its restaurant this March after eight years of trading, saying that the industry is “on its knees”.

 

Owner Silvana Bandini said the Ollerod needed to double the number of guests who dine daily or to have doubled the price of its dishes for the restaurant to have remained feasible.

 

The restaurant was launched by chef Chris Staines in 2018, former executive chef at the four-AA-star Abbey hotel in Bath. He also helmed Michelin-star Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel in London, which closed in 2009.

 

From 1 March, the Ollerod will operate as a hotel and pub, while continuing to serve a continental breakfast.

 

In a post on Instagram, Bandini said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision, which I have struggled with immensely; however, it is the only feasible option (and I have spent a lot of time considering them all).

 

“I’m sure you’re all aware that the hospitality industry is on its knees at the moment, and sadly the Ollerod is no different. The economic state and rising costs leave me no choice. The cost of ‘feeding people’, with all the wages (chefs, pot wash, servers) plus the astronomical increase in the actual cost of food, means that the revenue generated from food no longer even covers these two costs. Gas, electricity, water, kitchen/restaurant consumables, booking systems, equipment, kitchen maintenance etc – are now all expenses with no offset.”

 

She added: “My whole life in hospitality has been centred around food... The thought of having a hospitality business without food goes against all my instincts; but I have to adapt in order to survive this challenging economic time, with the aim of creating something amazing in a different way.”

 

Bandini revealed plans to extend the existing bar space to host more workshops, wine and cheese evenings and pop-ups in the coming months.  

 

The hotelier previously worked at the Pig near Bath and acquired the keys to the Ollerod – formerly the Bridge House hotel in Beaminster – in 2018.

 

The property offers nine bedrooms and two self-catering apartments.