Celebrated Lu Ban succumbs to general hospitality costs - a common complaint in 2023
Baltic Triangle favourite and acclaimed Chinese restaurant Lu Ban led by celebrated chef David Critchley has decided to call it a day.
The cost of living crisis has reduced footfall to what was always a niche concept
In a shock announcement the restaurant has released a statement:
‘We regret to inform our customers that, after careful consideration, we have decided to permanently close Lu Ban restaurant.
‘The closure was not a decision we have taken lightly but was necessary due to a combination of factors. The cost of living crisis has reduced footfall to what was always a niche concept. This coupled with increasing financial pressures of running and utility costs has rendered the business unsustainable.
‘We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to customers who have plans to visit in the near future and where deposits have been paid these will be returned.’
This is sad news and a bitter blow to the Liverpool dining-out scene although the reasons given are now becoming commonplace not just in the city but across the UK hospitality scene. In this instance it can't have helped the location was difficult, tucked away in a hidden courtyard in the Baltic Triangle.
Our reviewer Vicky Andrews in 2019 was ‘happily bamboozled by this dazzling new Chinese restaurant’. She loved the food, the extensive drinks list and the service. The ‘banquet was fit for an emperor’.
Liverpool Confidential wishes the staff all the best and hope they can find other employment.
Lu Ban was at Cains Brewery Village, Stanhope St, Liverpool L8 5XJ
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