Popular Penzance restaurant shuts for good
10:12am Friday 12th October 2012 in News
By Greg Fountain, Reporter/Photographer
The "worst recession in a very long time" has forced a popular Penzance restaurant to close its doors for good this week.
Untitled, on Abbey Street, was founded by Robert Wright last year and soon became a favourite with visitors.
Reviewers extolled its "great" menu and wine choices and one French tourist even described it as the "best meal in Cornwall" just last week on review website 'tripadvisor.co.uk'.
However a bad summer season has meant the restaurant has not "generated enough funds to carry us through the winter," Mr Wright said - forcing him "to make the extremely hard decision" of shutting up shop.
He added: "To kill something off in its prime feels so wrong and not unlike bereavement, but it had become unsustainable and, logically, the best thing to do is to quit while not in too much trouble.
"After giving everything to a business and sacrificing enormous amounts of personal life, including precious time with a new child and family, there comes a point when you have to prioritise."
The news of Untitled's closure comes at a bad time for Penzance's eateries, with Blue Snappa, in Market Place, also having closed within the last month.
Mr Wright will now focus his energies on his partner's business, the Newlyn Cheese and Charcuterie, to "make sure there is at least one success story for Penwith."
He said: "The experience of Untitled has been an enormous learning curve but a thrill and pleasure at the same time.
"I had every hope of riding the storm of the recession through to the phoenix moment that Penzance is surely due, but sadly it has not been possible."
