Devastated Edinburgh restaurant owners in heartfelt note to diners over closure
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An Edinburgh restaurant which specialised in turning junk food favourites into a fine dining experience have made the gutting decision to close.
Posting an announcement on Instagram., Junk cited the challenging economic climate while they called out the Scottish Government for not doing enough to support small independent hospitality businesses.
Starting off three years ago, Junk, the South Clerk Street eatery detailed how they poured their heart and soul into developing the business from a small marquee to a well established Newington business.
They thanked their loyal customers and supporters while announcing their final day of trading would take place on Saturday May 31.
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In the post, they shared: "Dearest Friends, Family and Guests, We are truly devastated to announce the closure of Junk, Bar & Restaurant. We will be opening our doors for the final time this Saturday, May 31.
"For the past three years, we have poured every ounce of our lives into this business — working countless hours each and every day to try to make it a success. Although we have failed, we are immensely proud of what we have achieved, and so grateful to our incredible team, past and present, for their passion, hard work, and belief they have shared with us every step of the way.
"We started with very little — selling some wee bits in a gazebo one summer, before building and launching a restaurant from scratch. We learned to tile, floor, grout, screed, paint, and plaster. Creating a space that housed our wee dream. All of this was done alongside our talented friend and Head Chef, Stu, who's been with us from day one. We're eternally grateful for your dedication Stuggy.
"To all who have supported us over the last few years, our incredible friends and family, as well as you wonderful folks that have come to eat our Junk - Thank You! Your feedback, kind words, and enthusiasm has pushed us forward to deliver what we believed was great food and service. You helped us realise our dream and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your love and support has meant the world to us.
"To the restaurants still managing to turn a profit in this climate — we commend you. The odds have been firmly stacked against us all. Through passion and sheer hope, we've kept our doors open as long as we possibly could. The heartbreaking reality is that we're one of many businesses either struggling or being forced to close. Please do what you can, if you can, to support local. Our biggest question is: at what point will the leaders of our government and country take action, implement meaningful change, and start supporting small, independent businesses?
"Our final service will be this coming Saturday, May 31. We'd love for you to come down in these next few days, raise a dram with us, and send Junk off with a bang.
"We'll be doing things a little differently for our final week — serving a full à la carte menu with almost entirely new dishes. This will be similar to our current small plates menu & will be the only menu running.
"If you have any queries regarding our closure — including deposits, pre-payments, or vouchers — please email us at reservations-newington@wearejunk.co.uk. We'll get back to you as soon as we can, and appreciate your patience during this time.
"We hope to welcome you one final time at Junk.
"Thank you, truly, for everything.
"Cam, Jade and the Junk Team x"
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Junk's revised opening hours for their final week are as follows:
• Thursday: 5.30pm – late
• Friday: 5pm – late
• Saturday: 4pm – late
One customer said: "Genuinely gutted about this - one of my favourite places in Edinburgh."
Whereas another added: "This is devastating - you were one of my favorites restaurants. We'll miss you!"
While someone else commented: "I'm very sorry to hear this. What hard times and what an achievement to have persisted through it."
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