A long-running and highly respected Melbourne restaurant has become the latest casualty of a crisis hitting Australia’s hospitality industry.
Epocha, which calls itself a European restaurant, announced Wednesday night that after 12 years in business it will close for good on Sept. 14.
Based in the inner suburb of Carlton, the imminent closure of the venue run by Angie Giannakodakis and Guy Holder has sparked an outpouring of grief from fans.
But no one is as sad as the owners, who wrote on social media that “it is with a mixture of regret and deep gratitude” that they came to the decision to close.
“If you look at what’s happened (to the economy) over the last three or four years, it takes a lot of strength and courage to overcome these things,” Giannakodakis told the Daily Mail Australia.
‘I live in an industry where we’re very good at changing things, changing course and adjusting and changing.
“But the one thing we can’t do is (control) all the externalities, we can’t change those things.”
One of those externalities is the building in which the restaurant is located. After its owner passed away last year, his family wants to sell it and Epocha’s owners cannot afford to buy it.
Epocha, which bills itself as a European restaurant, announced Wednesday night that after 12 years in business, it will close for good on Sept. 14. Co-owner Angie Giannakodakis is pictured.
This led to the difficult decision that “it was smarter to close it now rather than allow it to remain silent overnight,” Giannakodakis said.
‘We hope that in years to come people will look back on this restaurant and say, “That was a restaurant. That’s the definition of a good restaurant.”‘
Diners took to social media to comment on the closure, including one from a big fan of the restaurant.
“I think this is the toughest shutdown for me of all the recent ones in our great city and across the country,” the commentator wrote.
‘Epocha (and Elyros) were like a beacon of hope and ambition when they opened many years ago. Such fond memories!
‘Don’t give up, Angie Giannakodakis, you are one of our national treasures.’
Ms Giannakodakis said she was “really grateful for all the messages people have sent us and also the comments from people who have responded to our (online) post”.
He added: “It’s a bit overwhelming, but at the same time it’s also great for the staff to see it, so they know they work in a good restaurant.”
As word spreads that Epocha has just over six weeks left, their bookings have increased, so much so that they are trying to move people to some of the less popular nights, like Sunday night or Monday night, where they are specializing in serving other hospitality workers.
Although the building was the main catalyst behind the decision to close, Ms. Giannakodakis said economic factors also played a role.
“I see it even when I go shopping. My money doesn’t go as far as it used to,” she says.
“So I’m conscious of where I’m going to spend that dollar, and value for money is very important.”
He is also well aware of how competitive Melbourne’s restaurant market is.
‘As a Melburnian, one of the things we pride ourselves on is that this is our social currency: eating out.
“We do it very, very well… and we wear black extremely well,” joked Giannakodakis, still able to laugh even though the business he has invested a dozen years of his life in is in its final days.
He also spoke about his philosophy of what a restaurant should offer its clientele, a philosophy that he plans to transfer to any future hotel venture he undertakes.
‘Restaurants should focus more on getting customers to look at a dish and say, “I want to eat that. It’s good for me. It’s healthy. It’s going to warm me up. I need that.”‘
Ms. Giannakodakis said creating that kind of feeling is… vital and creates an ‘essence of nutrition’ beyond the food itself.
‘If you put a nice roast chicken in front of them, the smile (of the customers) is ridiculous (and other foods are not)’ have the same impact.
‘I feel like people look at (Epocha) food in a different way… what it will do to their body and their soul.
“But I think essentially, throughout the week they were thinking about that meal and saying, ‘That was really good. I feel good this week because of that.'”
Epocha is one of a number of long-running restaurants across the country that have closed in recent months, including Angler in Adelaide and hipster restaurant Nota in Brisbane.
The long-established and highly-rated Melbourne restaurant (pictured) has become the latest victim of a crisis hitting the hospitality industry.
Based in the inner suburb of Carlton, the impending closure of Epocha (chefs pictured) has sparked an outpouring of grief from its fans.
Both said skyrocketing costs contributed to the decision to close.
With the reputation they’ve earned at Epocha, Ms. Giannakodakis and Mr. Holder could be back in business at a new location before long.
“The most important thing now is to take care of our customers,” he said. “Keeping our people close and making sure that the people who collaborate and also work with us are careful.’
When they eventually close, she said she wants to “go home and cook some dinner and look at my family and think about the future a little bit.”