Michelin-starred Birmingham restaurant closes after 17 years amid bookings fall
Purnell’s closed on Saturday with owner Glynn Purnell citing traffic problems and unease linked to demonstrations for declining footfall.
Chef Glynn Purnell has announced the closure of his Michelin-starred Birmingham restaurant, saying it had become “non-sustainable” amid declining bookings and footfall.
Purnell’s, which was awarded a Michelin star a year after it opened in 2007, closed its doors for the final time on Saturday.
In a statement posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Mr Purnell said: “Purnell’s has been my proudest moment, and I am heartbroken to say that after 17 years we have served our final guest.
“Purnell’s has been a place where I have had the privilege of working with some of the greatest talent I’ve ever known, and where I have trained people who are now working in some of the best restaurants in the world, from New York to Australia.
“However, the world doesn’t stand still. Things have moved on, and times have changed. In this current climate, no-one is bulletproof.”
“I’d also like to thank everybody who has ever eaten here and celebrated life here,” he said. “I’ve raised a glass with guests who have come through our doors to mark birthdays, graduations, first dates, weddings, anniversaries, and many more life events, and I’m thrilled that they chose Purnell’s for all those occasions.”
The 49-year-old also runs the nearby Plates by Purnell’s tapas-themed restaurant and The Mount pub in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, which will both remain open for business as normal.
Speaking to BBC Radio WM on Monday, Mr Purnell, known as the “Yummy Brummie” and for his roles as a contestant and mentor on the BBC’s Great British Menu, said of Purnell’s closure: “It was obviously a really difficult decision for me to make.
“It’s just come to a point where it was just non-sustainable for me to continue.
“I ran this restaurant for 17 years completely independent – I have never had any sort of big financial backer.”
Mr Purnell added that he believed footfall had dropped in central Birmingham, while long-standing parking charge changes and the city’s central Clean Air Zone, which came into force in 2021, coupled with “horrific” traffic levels linked to building work, had all had an impact.
“This country seems to be penalising itself to try to prove something to the rest of the world,” he told the BBC.
Recent demonstrations had also made people feel uneasy, the chef said.
Vowing to spend more time cooking at Plates, which was “ticking over really nice”, Mr Purnell told the station: “I definitely want to go and do something else.
“Hopefully there are lots more things in the pipeline.
“It’s a new chapter. There is still lots to come.”
