It’s a sad loss for Mediterranean food lovers as the renowned family-owned restaurant; The Olive Garden closes its doors on Friday, 27th July.
The restaurant opened it's doors nine years ago
In a Facebook post the restaurant management announced that they're extremely sad of that after close of business his Friday, they will no longer be operational.
The statement reads: “Taken by surprise, last Friday, 20 July 2018, we were given notice that our lease will not be renewed and we were to vacate the premises by the end of the month by the owners of Dieters nursery, Dieter and Delicia Haseloff, giving us less than 10 days to wrap up nine years of trading and infrastructure."
The statement continues:
- We were informed that the owners of Dieters nursery had decided that they no longer wished to extend our lease as they would not be pursuing any ‘restaurant or similar facility on the premises.
- As to that bombshell, we wish you our utmost love and thanks for all your support over the years, through good and shakier times.
- We have built up such wonderful relationships with so many of you, getting to know your children, your grandparents, your ups and downs, your tastes in ordering and most of all the fun repartee we have shared together. It is with a very heavy heart and entirely not by our choice that we have to love and leave you.
- We are at a loss to explain the ethical rationale behind this ill-considered time frame imposed on us.
- We don’t just feed you our customers; we feed and sustain over 8 other families employed by us, ironically by a small family business.
- Anyhow, here’s looking to the future and thanking you and all your friends and families once again for your support over the years.
The Olive Garden in Durban. Picture from Facebook. The end the announcement has a quote by Walter Sisulu saying, “’It is a law of life, that problems arise when conditions are there for their solution”, unfortunately, that did not cut the mustard in their situation.