Fine dining restaurant The Rabbit announces shock closure

There’s another shock restaurant closure in Manchester – as the bosses of fine dining restaurant The Rabbit have announced they will serve their final meal to the public next month.

The Rabbit was launched as The Rabbit in the Moon in early 2017 by ex-Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’ GG Hospitality group in association with award-winning chef Michael O’Hare, with clear ambitions to win a coveted Michelin Star for Manchester with its “Space age Asian” cuisine.

But O’Hare left the group earlier this year, and the restaurant was rebranded as The Rabbit under the guidance of head chef John Granaghan, continuing with the fine dining style and taster menus of £70 per person.

Today GG Hospitality announced that following a decision by the shareholders they would be serving the last meal on 17th November at the restaurant, which is located on the top two floors of the Urbis building in the city.

In a statement they blamed trading figures and said they would be concentrating on the hotel side of their business, which also runs Hotel Football and are busy renovating the former Stock Exchange in Manchester for a hotel launch in 2019.

A spokesperson for the restaurant explained: “The team at The Rabbit will be serving its last meal on the 17th of November.

“As a result of a number of factors, the trading figures for the restaurant do not justify keeping the operation open and the shareholders want to focus resources on the roll out of hotels which are ultimately the core of the business.

“With effect from the 18th of November, the venue will be used for corporate and private events only.

“The team at The Rabbit will continue to operate the venue under the GG Events & Catering brand.”

The news comes just a fortnight after the shock announcement from Living Ventures that it would be closing its own Michelin Star contender, Manchester House, with immediate effect along with Artisan in the adjacent building.

Bosses blamed “difficult trading” across the summer for the two closures.

This article was last updated 6 years ago.
It was first published on 29 October 2018 and is subject to be updated from time to time. Please refresh or return to see the latest version.

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