The chef announced the immediate closure of the restaurant, located on King Street, citing a fall in trade for the reason.
A message posted on the restaurant’s Instagram account written by Usher says: “It’s with a heavy heart that I announce the immediate closure of Kala.
“I’m not really sure how to explain why we’ve closed other than we weren’t busy enough to cover our costs. I really really want to blame the economy and the pandemic.
“I really want to say the rising costs have made it impossible. All those factors haven’t helped but we are 50% down in trade at Kala and that is the killer. It goes without saying our business rates increasing substantially & the hike in NIC contributions only works against us.”
Usher adds that the Kala team will be paid up to date, as well as the restaurant’s rent and any money owed to suppliers and that he will honour any customer vouchers at his other venues.
Kala was Usher’s sixth restaurant and opened in spring 2019 following a last minute crowdfund campaign to raise £100,000 to complete the project.
It was his first city centre venue and at the time he said he was proud to be opening in such a location. “It was always a dream to have a restaurant on King Street in Manchester,” he adds in the Instagram post. “I just wish it had lasted longer than 6 years.”
The closure means that Usher now operates four venues – his original restaurant Sticky Walnut in Chester as well as Hispi in Didsbury and Wreck in Liverpool, and also his pub The White Horse in Churton. At the start of the year, he closed his Heswall restaurant Burnt Truffle after a decade.
The business also has a bakery operation, Usher’s Bakehouse in Hoole, named after the bakery that Usher’s grandfather Gordon founded in St Albans in 1970.
Usher recently raised £50,000 through crowdfunding to enable the bakery to make the move into wholesale.