A long-running and highly regarded Melbourne restaurant has become the latest victim of a crisis that is hitting Australia’s hospitality sector hard.
Epocha, which profiles itself as a European restaurant, announced on Wednesday evening that it will close its doors for good on September 14 after 12 years.
The threatened closure of the venue, run by Angie Giannakodakis and Guy Holder, in the inner-city Carlton neighbourhood has caused much grief among its supporters.
But no one is as sad as the owners, who wrote on social media that they have come to the decision to close “with a mixture of heavy hearts and deep gratitude.”
“If you look at what’s happened over the last three to four years (to the economy), it takes a lot of strength and courage to get through these kinds of things,” Giannakodakis told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I work in a sector where we are very good at changing things, at adapting and changing.
“But the one thing we can’t do is control all the external factors. We can’t change those things.”
One of those externalities is the building that houses the restaurant. After the owner passed away last year, his family wants to sell it and the owners of Epocha cannot afford to buy it.
Epocha, which bills itself as a European restaurant, announced Wednesday night that it will close its doors for good on September 14 after 12 years. Co-owner Angie Giannakodakis is pictured
This led to the difficult decision that “it was a wiser choice to close it now than to let it go quiet overnight,” Ms. Giannakodakis said.
‘Hopefully in years to come people will look back at this restaurant and say, “That was a restaurant. That’s the definition of a good restaurant.”‘
Guests took to social media to respond to the closure, including one huge fan of the restaurant.
“I think this is the hardest blow for me of all the recent closures in our beautiful city and across the country,” the commentator wrote.
‘Epocha (and Elyros) were a beacon of hope and ambition when they first opened, all those years ago. So many fond memories!
“Don’t give up Angie Giannakodakis, you are one of our national treasures.”
Ms Giannakodakis said she was “extremely grateful for all the messages people have sent us and also for the responses from people who have commented on our post (online).”
She added: ‘It’s a little overwhelming. But at the same time, it’s great for the staff to see that, (so) they know they’re working for a good restaurant.’
Now that word has spread that Epocha has only been open for six weeks, bookings have increased significantly. So much so that they are trying to move people to less popular nights, such as Sunday or Monday nights, where they specialise in catering for other hospitality workers.
While the building was the main driver behind the decision to close, Ms. Giannakodakis said economic factors also played a role.
“I see it myself when I go shopping. My money doesn’t go as far as it used to,” she said.
‘So I think carefully about what I spend my money on. I think it’s important that you get value for your money.’
She is also very aware of how competitive the Melbourne restaurant market is.
‘As Melbourne residents, we pride ourselves on having this as our social currency: dining out.
“We’re doing really, really well… other than the fact that we wear black really well,” joked Ms. Giannakodakis, still able to laugh about it despite the fact that the company she had poured 12 years of her life into was in its final days.
She also spoke about her philosophy of what a restaurant should offer its customers, a philosophy she plans to carry over into her next hospitality venture.
‘Restaurants should be more about (customers) looking at a dish and thinking, “I want to eat that. It’s good for me. It’s healthy. It’s going to warm me up. I need it.”‘
Ms. Giannakodakis said that creating that kind of feeling vital and creates a ‘nutritious essence’ that goes beyond the food itself.
‘If you put a nice roast chicken in front of them, the smiles of (the customers) are ridiculous (and other dishes are not) have the same impact.
“I feel like people are looking at (Epocha’s) food in a different way…what it does to their body and soul.
“But I think they essentially went around during the week thinking about that meal and saying, ‘That was really good. I feel good this week because of that.’”
Epocha is one of many established restaurants across the country to close their doors in recent months, including Angler in Adelaide and hipster restaurant Nota in Brisbane.
The long-running and highly regarded Melbourne restaurant (pictured) has become the latest victim of a crisis that is hitting the hospitality industry hard
The threatened closure of Epocha (with chefs pictured) in downtown Carlton has sparked outrage among supporters
Both said skyrocketing costs played a role in the decision to close.
Thanks to the reputation they have built at Epocha, Ms. Giannakodakis and Mr. Holder could soon be working at a new location.
“The most important thing now is to take care of our customers,” she said. “Keep our people and make sure that the people who work with us and also work with us, catered.’
When the case is finally closed, she wants to “go home, cook some food, see my family and think a little bit about the future,” she says.