‘How is the decimation of our industry allowed to continue?': Juke and Loe announces closure

Michelin-recommended Sheffield restaurant Juke and Loe at the Milestone will close in March after owners Luke and Joe Grayson said the business was "no longer viable".

The chef brothers, who established the business in 2017 and relocated to a pub site in Green lane in 2022, added: "Hospitality in Britain has been broken and we can't see it getting repaired anytime soon."

Describing the decision as "extremely difficult and painful", the brothers explained: "Our business in particular has reached a ceiling and can no longer keep up with the ever-increasing costs, food, fuel, utilities, staff wages (which they deserve and more), business rates and the dreaded VAT. The latter being set at a preposterous percentage in an industry that can claim almost zero back.

"Racking our brains we still don't know how this decimation of our industry began and is allowed to continue.

"An industry that is the third largest employer in the UK and brings untold joy to so many, both staff and customers alike."

Juke and Loe at the Milestone will hold its last service on 30 March.

The restaurant had been recommended in the Michelin Guide, which had said: "The flavours really pack a punch and everything is pleasingly fuss-free."

Jay Rayner, restaurant critic for The Observer, had reviewed the business in 2022 and praised cooking designed to "satisfy rather than impress with its own cleverness". He added: "It's the sort of cookery that makes you pause, mid-conversation, and study the plate."

The brothers have said they hope to return in another format in the future.

Photo: www.facebook.com/jukeandloesheffield/photos