Allure wound up in ‘tough’ market
THE owner of one of the Gold Coast’s most renowned restaurants, which closed its doors suddenly yesterday, has vowed to rediscover his love for food.
Allure on Currumbin, once ranked the second best restaurant in the country by TripAdvisor, revealed it was closing less than a year after changing hands.
The restaurant was purchased by Ryan Humphries, 21, in July last year, who at the time expressed his desire to “get it back to the success it had under its original owners” before opening a second restaurant.
Mr Humphries said yesterday he was devastated by the closure, which comes after months of positive reviews and a massive increase in online ratings.
“There were no complaints about the food or the experience, everyone would tell their friends about a young chef and a young owner,” he said.
“It spread the word ... and it just kept going along the same, we never really got any busier. It’s not anyone’s fault, it’s just life.”
The closure has already attracted attention on Facebook, with many customers posting messages of support.
Allure jumped to the firstranked restaurant in Currumbin and the fourth-best finedining eatery on the Gold Coast, but Mr Humphries made it clear they would not be passing the business on.
“Unfortunately, despite all of our fantastic diners and amazing reviews, we simply did not have sufficient numbers to survive in this tough industry,” a statement read.
“To all of our local and loyal customers we thank you for your continued support.
“Although business was not always the best, seeing the smiles on your faces from tasting the food and enjoying your experience definitely made it all worthwhile.”
Allure has a long history across the Gold Coast even before the New Zealand-born chef took over, just a year-anda-half after he started culinary school.
Mr Humphries said while he had not decided what he would do next, he hoped to continue his love of cooking.
“I’m going to try to re-find my passion for food. I lost it a bit with the business thing and wasn’t able to focus on food as much as I wanted. I’ll probably move away from the business side of things and just get a job in the kitchen again.”
BUSINESS, P68