Big Mike’s, the well-known restaurant in Blackrock, Co Dublin, is closing, with its owner citing “insurmountable challenges” in the industry. In a post on Instagram, chef and proprietor Gareth Smith said Sunday was the restaurant’s last service.
“This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to write. It feels like failure, but it isn’t. We’re proud of what we achieved, we shot for the stars, poured everything into it – heart, soul, sweat, tears, life savings, even the house deposit – but the brutal truth is the maths just don’t math any more,” he wrote.
He said he was proud of his team and grateful to his guests and suppliers.
“My final act as gaffer is to go to bat for my staff so they land safely in new homes,” he added.
RM Block
Big Mike’s has been in operation since 2022.
In an unusual approach, Mr Smith raised €400,000 of the €1.6 million start-up costs for the restaurant by forward-selling vouchers to a group of 40 regulars in his other outlets, Michael’s and Little Mike’s in Mount Merrion, both of which have since closed.
