A popular Portadown restaurant is set to close down permanently later this month, after nearly three decades in business.
The Yellow Door Deli on Woodhouse Street in the Co Armagh town, as been a staple of the community for 27 years.
But, taking to social media on Saturday, its owners announced that they “must say a final goodbye”.
The Yellow Door catering firm also has an outlet in Belfast that offers a delivery service for their deli boxes in the greater Belfast area.
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However, it all began with the Portadown store, and managing director Simon Dougan announced that their decision to shut its doors for good has been made “with extreme sadness and regret”.
“The deli is a large premises and with that comes large overheads,” he stated.
“We have tried to reinvent the deli over the last few years, but with soaring food, packaging and energy prices, coupled with staff costs, and the challenge of recruiting staff, the café/deli is no longer financially viable, and hasn’t been for a while.
“We will concentrate on the other, profitable parts of the business, our wedding and events catering for private and corporate clients, and our wholesale bakery, which are unaffected and will continue to operate as normal.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our valued customers for their support and friendship over the years, and to the staff who have worked extremely hard to make the deli the welcoming place it is.
“In the meantime, pop in over the next three weeks and grab yourself a bargain; we’d be delighted to see you.”
Many customers shared their sadness online regarding the news.
One person wrote: “Yellow Door was my second family for many years, I’m so grateful for the opportunities and friends I’ve made along the way. Best wishes for the success of the events and the bakery team.”
Another said that Yellow Door “has been a gleaming deli and restaurant for Portadown, without which the town would never have ever been the same”.
Yellow Door had another cafe on Belfast’s Lisburn Road, but made the choice of closing it down last December also, after 25 years.