11/01/2023
As some of you may have seen/heard, our partners, Boutilliers, have had to close down and cease brewing. This, of course, was devastating news for many, losing a local brewery we have been following and enjoying for years. Unfortunately, this story is not unique nor surprising. The pandemic struck down many businesses, particularly any relating to hospitality.
California Cravings happened to thrive during lockdown, as we were a takeaway business. So, with probably way too rosy-coloured glasses on, we teamed up with another local business and opened a restaurant, The Saddlers, mid-pandemic. We had high hopes of things getting back to “normal” over the next year, but unfortunately, normal no longer exists. Of course, people remained cautious and continued staying home more than “normal”. Then, the repercussions of a halted society, brexit, and a war have been hitting more and more. The cost of EVERYTHING has gone up for EVERYONE. Everything from energy and taxes to even the tiniest ingredient we use in our food. And since everyone is experiencing this, people need to save money for the essentials, so just aren’t going out as much anymore. All this adds up to an insurmountable obstacle for a business such as ours.
So, it is with great sadness that we announce that we are yet another victim of this circumstance and cannot see how we can continue. We, Christina and Steven, have literally bled for this place, given up absolutely everything trying to bring something special to this town we love. And if we had opened in “normal” times, there is no doubt in our mind that this place would have thrived. Those who come here love it and tell us constantly, and we love all of you. We wanted to create a friendly place to share good times and delicious flavours with everyone, and we accomplished that. We provided jobs to some absolutely lovely people and have often paid them out of our own pockets, but finally have nothing left to give.
We still have some beer, wine, spirits and food supplies, so we will open this weekend in some capacity and at least have one last hurrah weekend, details to be announced but expect us to be open Friday and Saturday night. We want to thank everyone who has supported us, worked for us and loved us, we truly appreciate you and wish you all the best. If anyone has advice or is interested in taking over our lease, please do get in touch.
