The founder of popular restaurant chain Rashays has been forced to close another location just two years after opening.
Rami Ykmour, 49, who founded the chain in 1998, said rising costs had forced him to close his restaurant in Bundaberg, about 360 kilometres north of Brisbane.
The news was announced on social media and on a sign on the door, informing customers that the store would close on July 1 “until further notice.”
“The cost of everything is going up,” Ykmour said. mail.
“This has put us under a lot of pressure. We have to stop the bleeding.”
Mr Ykmour said there was still hope the restaurant could reopen with government assistance or if business costs could be negotiated.
“The government is doing absolutely nothing to support small businesses,” he said.
Rami Ykmour, 49, who founded the chain in 1998, said exorbitant costs had forced the closure of his restaurant in Bundaberg, about 360 kilometres north of Brisbane.
The founder of popular restaurant chain Rashays was forced to close another location (pictured) just two years after opening.
The store had officially closed just 24 hours earlier on Monday, July 1, just under two years after it first opened in August 2022.
In May 2024, Rashays closed its Toowoomba location after Mr Ykmour was forced to defend the premises in the face of rumours that the food was frozen.
The restaurant owner called the accusations “slander” and made videos on social media to highlight that the food was fresh.
The 49-year-old scoured the shelves of the restaurant’s refrigerated space, grabbing fresh and sealed packaged foods including sauces, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, sausages, meat, chicken, vegetables and pasta.
“How is this frozen? When I heard the security guard say, ‘I’ve heard rumors that everything is frozen here,’ I had to record this video,” Ykmour said.
The news that the Bundaberg restaurant was closed was announced on social media and on a sign on the door saying the venue would be closed from July 1 “until further notice”.
‘I haven’t set up the cold room… I just want to tell everyone that I hope they listen to me. The reason I’m so passionate is because this is not my business, it’s my baby.
“Let people slander my business like that, may God forgive them and may God forgive you. I hope you heard me and I can’t be more passionate or more honest than that.”
In August 2023, Rashays restaurant in Maroochydore said it would close for renovations and never reopened.
In 2022, the Toombul location in northeast Brisbane was closed after suffering severe water damage following flooding in the region.
Rashays, described as a relaxed, family-friendly restaurant, has 34 branches across the east coast of Queensland, the ACT, New South Wales and Victoria.