“I am absolutely broken hearted and I haven’t even started to fully process this”

Customers of a Stockport restaurant and bar have expressed their sadness after its owner confirmed it has closed its doors.

Blackbird Brewhouse located in Stockport town centre has closed with immediate effect with its owner citing ‘proposed rent increases’ as the reason for shutting its doors.

Owned by Andy James, the site was originally home to his award-winning pie restaurant, Ate Days a Week, before being reinvented this year as a dining spot offering pies, roast dinners and craft beers, among other specialities.

Taking to social media last night, owner Andy said it was with ‘deep regret’ that he was announcing the closure. He said that finding the words to say had been ‘extremely’ hard after four years of running businesses from the site.

The post on Instagram read: “The last couple of weeks have been torture, easily the hardest of my life in all honesty. Blackbird is now closed in Stockport.

“I am absolutely broken hearted and I haven’t even started to fully process this, it’ll take some time to get over that’s for sure.”

He then urged customers to read through the accompanying statement in the post as way of explaining why the decision had been made. And he ended the post by promising punters: “We will be back.”

The photos attached to the post went on to explain that the closure was down to ‘proposed rent increases’, we he said were ‘unfeasible’ for him to continue operating from the location.

He added: “We have been on an incredible ride in this site for over 4 years from the first iteration of Ate Days A Week, lockdowns, tiers and more leading us into adding Notion on the first floor before expanding that to the full venue with so many very hazy but great memories of partying up to 4am and keeping everyone in good spirits and well watered.

“Earlier this year we made a shift to Blackbird Brewhouse & Kitchen bringing back our 14x award-winning pies, award-winning and acclaimed dinners and all round top quality food offering.”

He went on to explain that rent increases would have meant having to ‘cut back staff of quality – 2 things we’ll never ever compromise on’. Andy added that customers with bookings had been contacted and deposits would be refunded.

He also thanked staff, who he described as ‘family’ and ‘amazing’ suppliers and guests.

This is not the end of our journey,” he concluded. “We are actively searching for a new home.

“One where we continue to serve you with the same passion and dedication. We’ll share updates as soon as we have exciting news to share.”

In the comments, many wished Andy and the team luck and promised he would ‘come back stronger’.

Another on Instagram added: “Absolutely gutted, the food here was outstanding! looking forward to seeing what’s next!”

A second wrote: “This is such a loss to Stockport. We have enjoyed many meals in your fabulous restaurant.

Wish you could come to Hazel Grove so we could have those Ox Cheek Nuggets on our doorstep.”

And a third said: “So sorry to hear this! We have loved you since Ate Days a Week but Blackbird was incredibly special to us. Hope you find a new home soon. Love to all your staff.”

Meanwhile, on X, formerly Twitter, another wrote: “I’m sorry, mate. I love this industry so much, but there’s a lot about it I hate currently. It’s hard seeing a future for small, independent, creative venues. Very sad.”

With an emphasis on ‘top-notch’ local and global craft and draught beers, cocktails and comfort food, Blackbird was a welcome addition the the town’s burgeoning food and drink scene when it opened earlier this year.

As well as their award-winning pies and Sunday roasts, diners could choose from a range of bar snacks including brisket sliders and sticky chipolatas, as well as larger plates like the wild boar and beef frankfurter with mustard chutney, fish and chips and steak sandwich. Drink wise, it offered a celebration of local beers and a carefully curated cocktails.

Last year, the venue’s original concept, Ate Days A Week also closed its Manchester city centre branch just eight months after opening. Andy launched his first Manchester site on Cooper Street in May 2022 with both a takeaway downstairs and full seated restaurant upstairs – where they were also serving up an acclaimed Sunday roast that was named one of the best in the UK.