Traditional Indian restaurant Brohmon in Stansted is set to close unless it sees a dramatic turn-around in business.
Owner of the award-winning eatery Karim Ullah has announced his decision after three years of ‘playing catch-up’ since it opened 11 days before the first covid lockdown in 2020.
Despite support from loyal customers, including those who visit regularly from overseas, a host of industry awards and excellent review ratings, not enough people from the village were supporting the Chapel Hill restaurant, he said.
“I really do not want to see the restaurant close because we have made so many good friends since we opened. We didn’t know anyone in Stansted when we arrived, but people have helped us through lockdown and we have had such amazing support. Unfortunately, there are just not enough people supporting us as customers which is why we are in this position,” he told the Indie.
“If we have to close, it will be for good. We have struggled with support from village people more than anything else, we have more people come from Bishop’s Stortford, Henham, Elsenham, Dunmow and Saffron Walden.”
Karim, who launched the business with his wife, Sultana, serving authentic Bengali cuisine, said customers came from as far afield as Germany and Arizona, but not Stansted.
“I have a father and son who fly into Stansted to watch QPR (Queens Park Rangers) and come straight to our restaurant every time, but I just don’t know how to convert the people in the village. We have about 8,500 residents, we are a small restaurant and we just need one percent of people in the village every week – that’s 85 seats, that’s not a lot to ask.”
Brohmon was named Essex Restaurant of the Year in 2022 at the British Restaurant Awards, as voted for by the public, and is also the top-rated Indian restaurant in Essex on TripAdvisor.
In calling for support on social media, Karim added: “We have worked so hard to provide something exceptional in the area, but we have been hurt very badly by so many things and we just aren't serving enough people to stay open for much longer.
“We are truly grateful to everyone for your support, the recommendations and reviews. We had a horrendous start and have seen things improve in the last six months, but we are playing catch-up for the first three and a half years.
“Unless we see a significant improvement in visitor numbers in the next few weeks, we will have to close our doors for good.”