What went wrong for Mill Hill's favourite restaurant?

Back in 2018, I ran a poll on Facebook asking residents what Mill Hil's favourite restaurants were (takeaway only services were not counted). The poll had a huge response with over 300 comments. Collating them all was a huge task. The winner was clear with over 30% more votes than the second place. The full results were as follows:-

1. Hudsons - Closed

2. BAW

3. Bluebells

4. El Vaquero

=5. The Good Earth

=5. Mill & Brew

6. Kiyoto 

7. Leyla - Closed

=8. The Delisserie - Closed

=8.  Lias Organics - Closed

=8. Zushi - Closed

A long time Mill Hill resident, with a long memory,  reminded me of this blog at the weekend and commented how sad it was that the no 1 restaurant on the list is gone. They also noted that five of the top ten had closed. Given the huge popularity of Hudsons what went wrong?  It is worth noting that Hudsons was the only one in the top six to go. 

The easy answer is that the pandemic. It is worth noting of course that some of the list had gone before the pandemic (Leyla's went shortly after the blog was published), and some are still thriving. Hudsons was one that survived the pandemic, but after a period of considerable uncertainty where it opened and shut a few times, finally packed up. The survival of  the rest of the Top Six shows that closure was not inevitable. Hospitality businesses had a significant amount of help from the government. (BTW It appears from the signs in the window that the food is still available on line). 

Some of these Mill Hill restaurants, such as Kiyoto seem busier than ever. Those that were able to do takeaways during lockdown and keep a degree of cashflow going were definitely at an advantage, this allowed them to retain staff. Also those that have a strong identity such as the Good Earth seem to have ridden the storm and have retained their trade. The market Hudsons were competing in has seen increased competition. They were especially loved for their burgers and with the arrival of Mani and Nick and Numa, the market was quite split, with several establishments selling great burgers.

Quite a few establishments lost the good staff they previously had and in the current climate have been unable to replace them. Running a small business can be difficult business even in good times. When you find yourself laden with debt, difficulties attracting staff of the calibre you need, increased competitions and no clear proof that things will improve, many people are choosing to cut their losses.

Baw Mill Hil

Last month, shortly after Hudsons closed, we published a list of all of the eating establishments in Mill Hill. To many people's surprise the total is 29! I guess from this, two things are clear. One is that a lot of people in Mill Hill enjoy eating out. The second is that not only do you have to be on top of your game, you have to keep the standard up to stay there and have a formula that has kept their loyal customer bases happy. Restaurants like The Good Earth, Mill Hill Tandoori and El Vaquerra have managed this over a good few years. We also have some wonderful take aways such as The Day of The Raj, Fridays and Tangs. We should celebrate that!

And congratulations to BAW who have inherited the title as Mill Hill's most popular restaurant until we run the poll again!

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