Stem restaurant on Hindley St, Midnight Spaghetti and Roxie’s bar on Grenfell St, Adelaide, to close
Three well-known Adelaide hospitality venues announced their impending closure within hours of each other on Monday evening, as SA’s hospitality crisis deepens.
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The state’s hospitality crisis has deepened with three well-known venues announcing their closure within hours of each other.
West End restaurant Stem, Italian eatery Midnight Spaghetti and Roxie’s – one of the city’s first pop-up bars – will all be shutting down over the next few months.
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It comes as Adelaide businesses continue to struggle with skyrocketing operating expenses, including energy and food costs, rent and insurance premiums.
The owners of Stem, an up-market restaurant on Hindley St which only launched a new menu in November, revealed they will be “regrettably closing” on March 2.
“It has been a great pleasure over the last six years to have created a beautiful, hospitable restaurant and bar experience in the West End,” they wrote in a social media post on Monday evening.
“Sadly, it has been increasingly difficult to remain viable and we have had to make the difficult decision to gracefully retire and close the restaurant.”
Soon after Stem’s announcement, the owners of Midnight Spaghetti and Roxie’s, located in the same city block as iconic CBD pub the Crown & Anchor, followed suit.
Tom Skipper, who owns both businesses, said that while the beloved pub has been saved from the wrecking ball, the building will have to shut for up to two years for construction of student accommodation.
This means Midnight Spaghetti, located above the historic live music venue, will close its doors from mid-July until then, with “no immediate plan for a relocation – meaning this could be a long goodbye and hiatus”.
“It’s been a labour of love and we’re devastated to close,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.
Mr Skipper said outdoor garden bar Roxie’s and adjoining event space Chateau Apollo, will close permanently from May 25.
“When Singaporean developer Wee Hur purchased our block, we knew change was coming,” he said.
“While the Cranker has been saved thanks to a landmark agreement, the reality of the development means that Roxie’s – along with Chateau Apollo – must make way for new student accommodation.
“Come raise a glass with us before the lights go out one last time.”
The popular bar began as an Adelaide Fringe pop-up bar called Little Miss Mexico in 2013, before transforming into Crab Shack, Super Fish, and eventually Roxie’s in 2017.
Live music institution the Crown & Anchor Hotel was saved from demolition in August as part of a compromise with developer Wee Hur Holdings, which will be allowed to add an extra 10 storeys to the student block, making it 29 storeys in total.
The venues are among dozens of SA hospitality businesses to have pulled the pin in the last 12 months.
Most recently, modern Vietnamese eatery Little NNQ on Gouger St and Firle restaurant BaliThai, on Glynburn Rd, announced they were shutting down.
Last year, beloved institutions Cardone’s at Jetty Rd, Glenelg, and Martini’s on the Parade, in Norwood, My Lover Cindi, on Pirie St, burger bar chain Cheffy Chelby’s and Port Adelaide nightclub Confession, also bid farewell to their loyal customers.
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Originally published as Stem restaurant on Hindley St, Midnight Spaghetti and Roxie’s bar on Grenfell St, Adelaide, to close
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