A much-loved Leicester pub has announced its impending closure, sparking a flood of disappointed comments and well-wishes online.
The West End Brewery, which sits in Braunstone Gate, will call closing time on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31, it has been revealed.
In a short statement posted online, the West End Brewery team said: “We’ve tried our best to tell as many people as we could in person, so sorry if we haven’t seen you, but now’s the time for an announcement. Our last ever day as the West End Brewery will be 31/12/22. But we’ll be trading under usual opening hours as normal until then!”
The revelation has prompted a string of shocked and disappointed comments online.
“Noooooo. So gutted. Leicester’s best pub by a million miles,” wrote one customer. “Thank you guys for everything. So going to miss you. Not just the amazing beer but the fabulous service & friendly faces.”
“So sad to see this. A great venue, business and community run by great people,” added another.
Although the reason for the closure hasn’t been made public, some speculated that it was down to the current economic climate.
“It is so sad that the current climate has created this, but when all is said and done WEB (West End Brewery) is a business and businesses need income to survive and tolerable conditions in which to trade,” said one customer.
“Very sorry to hear, tough times for pubs. Had some good times there,” added another.
“A victim of 500% energy price hikes, I assume?”
Despite the sad news, the West End Brewery Team said that they vowed to go “out with a bang,” on New Year’s Eve.
“There’s plenty of time for us all to have a nice catch-up in person between now and then, and of course we’ll be going out with a bang. Thank you all for making this a fantastic few years, and a truly lovely place to be,” they added.
