One of Cheltenham’s most iconic restaurants, The Daffodil in the town’s Suffolks area, has closed its doors with immediate effect.
Known not just for its food but its exuberant art deco interior, originally designed as the town’s first cinema in 1922, the business announced that it has been left with no alternative but to shut in a Facebook statement, posted on Friday 12 August 2022.
It marks the end of another chapter for the restaurant, which has hosted Prince William and was featured in the BBC drama Sherlock — but the business stressed it would be honouring commitments to the host The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival events during October 2022.
In its statement, The Daffodil said it had made the decision with ‘great sadness’.
It said: ‘The pressures during Covid followed by the continued difficulties throughout the hospitality industry of recruiting enough high-quality staff has meant that we feel we cannot continue to operate at the standards to which an iconic restaurant such as this fully deserves.
‘We are so grateful for all of your support over the years, we have hosted many amazing events and people. We will miss our fantastic customers, and staff greatly.
‘Any customers with current bookings we will be emailing and refunding over the next few days, any other queries please email us.’
The sad news comes just months after The Daffodil reopened its doors post-pandemic, with the restaurant even undergoing a refurbishment in February 2022.
