A popular restaurant has announced it will close after five years, as restaurants across the country feel the pinch of cost of living pressures on Australians.
Modern European restaurant and wine bar NOTA in Paddington, Brisbane’s inner west, will close on August 3.
Chefs and co-owners Sebastiaan de Kort and Kevin Docherty said the decision to close the restaurant was a fairly easy one, mainly because the lease is ending.
The restaurant opened in March 2019, with Mr de Kort and Mr Docherty taking over the historic business front that had been home to French restaurant Montrachet.
NOTA quickly became very popular with locals, with a menu of European-inspired dishes and an extensive wine list.
The closure of NOTA will give Mr de Kort and Mr Docherty the opportunity to take their team to their second restaurant, Allonda in Newstead, in Brisbane’s inner north, co-owned with sommelier Yanika Sittisuntorn.
NOTA chefs and co-owners Kevin Docherty (pictured left) and Sebastiaan de Kort (pictured right) announced that the popular restaurant will close on August 3.
NOTA was famous for its menu of European-inspired dishes and an extensive wine list.
NOTA announced the closure on its website, inviting patrons to say goodbye in the coming weeks
During the pandemic, De Kort and Docherty focused on baked goods and takeout, like many other restaurants.
From this arose the Arty’s artisan candy business, which still operates.
In mid-2022, they expanded NOTA by taking over a neighboring lease before opening Allonda later that year.
M. de Kort said to the mail NOTA would not have been successful without the loyal support of the Paddington community.
“We are excited about what the future holds, both for us and for the space we are leaving behind,” said Mr. de Kort.
NOTA announced the closure of its websiteinviting customers to say goodbye.
‘Join us for the next 8 weeks as we bring back some of our beloved classic dishes and say goodbye to the crew.
‘From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. We look forward to welcoming you again.’
De Kort recognizes the impact of Australia’s sluggish economy on the hotel business and says it makes sense to consolidate.
He told the Brisbane Times, ‘The industry has changed. Spending has changed. People are working very hard for their money at the moment, so you need to make sure you tick all the boxes.’
‘But I think there’s still a lot of positivity. It’s been a tough 12 months, but the next 12 will get better. It’s cyclical.”
The closure of NOTA in Brisbane comes after a hospitality company that ran a number of popular cafes and bakeries across the city collapsed last month.
BCN Events Group went into voluntary liquidation and 90 employees were reportedly made redundant.
The company is owned by award-winning chef Shannon Kellam and had seven locations that closed.
Kellam also owns the French restaurant Montrachet, which took the place of NOTA.
Montrachet is not affected by the liquidation.
