AFTER MORE THAN 25 years in business, Thornton’s Restaurant has announced that it is to close its doors.
The award-winning restaurant, located in the Dublin city centre and overlooking St Stephen’s Green, has marked 29 October as its last date in business.
The restaurant’s owner, chef Kevin Thornton, shared an interview with the Irish Times on Twitter explaining the reasons for the closure.
He and his wife Muriel said that while the loss of the restaurant’s only Michelin star “was a big blow”, high rent prices were also an influencing factor.
In an interview on Today with Sean O’Rourke, Kevin said that a Michelin star was like an Oscar, an award for the hard work he knew he had done:
But because we had it for 20 years, when it was gone it was like a void.
Kevin’s wife Muriel, said that there was no explanation of why the restaurant lost the prestigious award last September.
We found out through Twitter. We don’t know why we got it in the first place, and we don’t know why we lost it.
They went on to say that although last December was “the best December we’ve ever had”, losing the Michelin star has reduced the influx of international tourists.
New ventures
The Thornton couple have announced that they are going to concentrate on the cooking masterclasses that Kevin teaches, and take some much needed time off.
“We haven’t had a Christmas off in a long long time,” Muriel said.
After the announcement, fans of the restaurant and fellow restaurateurs have been wishing the Thorntons well on their next venture.
With just two months to go before the final dish is prepared, no doubt people will be queuing up to book the final few reservations.
Kevin Thornton, who is from Cashel Co Tipperary, was the first Irish chef to get a two-star award from Michelin.
His restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars between 2001-2005, and one star from 2006 until last September.
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