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20
Apr
Harrogate sushi restaurant explains 'painful' decision to close
A Harrogate sushi restaurant will say goodbye to customers next month, after less than a year of operating.
Sushi Panda opened on Knaresborough Road at the end of July last year, with a pledge to make sushi, poke bowls and mochi freshly on site.
But it announced in a statement on Facebook on Saturday (April 18) it will close its doors for the final time on Saturday, May 2.
The business said that it was no longer able to compete in the current market.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret today, shop owners Viktoriia and Sam Shevel said:
It is painful to have to close. The main reason is the high overhead, especially the wage bill. We didn't have enough capital to give the business the time it needed to grow, even though we see its potential.
For months, our customers' feedback kept us going – we have a five-star rating on Google. It hurts to hear people ask: 'Where will I get good sushi now?’. Economic reality simply took its toll.
The owners added that the surge in supermarkets opening cheaper Asian food counters to their shop floors, such as Morrisons’ new Asian Corner, had priced them out.
Difficulties as refugees
Mr and Ms Shevel are Ukrainian refugees who came to Harrogate after the Russia-Ukraine war began.
They spoke of the difficulties of opening a business as refugees:
Starting a business is always hard, but for us, it was twice as difficult due to cultural differences and many administrative processes we were unfamiliar with.
Opening this business was our attempt to gain financial independence and be socially useful. Because of the temporary nature of Ukrainian visas, we often only have access to low-paid jobs, and not all employers are willing to hire people with such uncertainty. This business was our hope to get back on our feet.
Despite being open for less than a year, the restaurant built a loyal customer base and was highly rated on Google and Deliveroo.
They said of their customers:
We are endlessly grateful to you. We truly cherish our customers: the hospital worker who came for lunch every week, the girl who moved to another city but travelled back to Harrogate every month just for our sushi, the lady with the dog who always stopped by for gluten-free options, and the family from Catterick who regularly spent their evenings with us.
We especially remember an elderly couple who came to us on a date to try sushi for the first time in their lives. That trust means everything to us. We hope that in the two weeks before we close, you’ll have a chance to enjoy our food one last time. Thank you for your trust, and we are sorry we couldn’t stay longer.
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