A waterfront seafood restaurant in Edinburgh has announced its closure this week, despite urging customers to secure a festive booking just 10 days ago.
Loch Fyne bar and restaurant in Newhaven confirmed the closure on social media last night with regulars quick to question what had prompted the sudden move.
The statement read: "Our journey has come to an end.
"We are permanently closed as of Thursday, October 26.
"Thank you for the memories."
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In response, one customer said: "Sorry to hear this.
"We had a lovely meal last night and had rebooked for Saturday."
Another added: "What? For a moment I thought this was the 1st of April."
The news comes little over a week after the restaurant had advertised a Christmas Party menu with the message: "Don’t delay, book now and have yourself a Merry Christmas."
When approached by the Herald, a spokesperson for Loch Fyne said: “It is with great sadness that we have made the difficult decision to close our Edinburgh Loch Fyne restaurant.
"All customers with a booking were contacted on Thursday ahead of the closure and we are arranging for anyone who had paid a deposit to receive a full refund over the coming days.”
The Pier Place eatery, housed within an old fish market dating back to the 1890s, is one of the Loch Fyne Restaurants group's 10 locations across the UK.
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Loch Fyne Oysters was founded near Cairndow in Argyll in the late 1970s by Johnny Noble, owner of Ardkinglas Estate, who died in 2002, and Andy Lane.
Loch Fyne Restaurants was later spun out of Loch Fyne Oysters in 1998.
In October 2005, management and Hutton Collins bought the business out of an Enterprise Investment Scheme.
Two restaurants were opened in England in the early 1990s to introduce Loch Fyne products to a wider audience before their success led to an approach to Derry and Glyn to develop the business further.
In 2006, Loch Fyne Restaurants was bought by Greene King, which continues to own and operate the chain today.
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