Diners out of pocket as eaterie is closed
ABIRKDALE restaurant has left customers who paid deposits for Christmas meals out of pocket after suddenly closing down.
Diners who had booked now also face the prospect of trying to find alternative restaurants at just three weeks’ notice.
Residents who had booked to enjoy Christmas Dinner at Carlos & Marco’s Brasserie on Weld Road, contacted the Visiter after the Mediterra- nean restaurant closed down last weekend without prior notice.
One Southport resident, Del Watkins, said that he had paid a £70 deposit for a Christmas night out for 14 people and is now facing the prospect of losing out on the money.
Amongst others, a group from a nearby golf club had also paid a £100 deposit, according to Del.
Although, he said his group has managed to secure a booking at Ainsdale’s Dolce Vita restaurant, others face the task of finding vacancies at businesses which started taking bookings several months ago.
Carlos and Marco’s Brasserie’s Facebook page has been taken down and calls to the restaurant are going unanswered.
The restaurant had only been open since June, having opened on the site of the former Samsara Thai building in Birkdale Village.
The business was originally opened by Portuguese duo Marco Camacho and Carlos Pacheco, who are both well known locally, having worked at other restaurants in the area.
According to Companies House, Marco resigned from the business on October 11, and he is believed to no longer have any involvement with the business.
Another restaurant in Southport, Twelve, has since offered to take in any customers who had bookings cancelled because of the closure.
A spokesman for the Princes Street restaurant said: “Twelve would like to help the people who have recently lost Christmas deposits due to Carlos & Marco’s clos- ing down.
“We have some dates available in December for you to have your Christmas party with us. Please contact us [on Facebook] or call 01704 533105 and we will look after you!”
The town centre restaurant opened late in 2015 and has proved extremely popular in the town, boasting five-star ratings on both TripAdvisor and Facebook.
The Visiter has attempted to contact the owners of Carlos & Marco’s for comment but has received no answer.