Fremantle restaurant Young George announces it is closing down after a decade in business

Yet another Perth restaurant will close its doors, citing a “difficult few years” for its decision to shut after a decade in business.

Those behind Fremantle’s Young George revealed the bar and restaurant will close at the end of service on Thursday, April 2, marking the end of a 10-year run.

In a statement shared online, the team said the decision comes after a “difficult few years” for the hospitality industry.

“After over a decade of memories, milestones and awards, we announce with great sadness that we will officially close our doors,” the post read.

The team paid tribute to its staff, thanking both past and present workers for being “the heart and soul behind every accolade we ever earned”.

It also thanked loyal customers who had supported the business over the years.

“To our guests: Thank you for every seat you filled and every memory shared over the last ten years,” the statement said.

“We are so proud of the legacy we leave behind.”

Locals have expressed their sadness over the closure.

“Hands down my favourite place to visit, it was a real treat thank you Young George team,” one wrote.

Another local took to social media to write “Hoping for more amazing things from you both! Sending my love and admiration for creating an outstanding venue”.

Even past employees were shocked over the news with many claiming it was “one of the best places they have ever worked.”

“It was an honour to work with y’all! One of the best places I’ve ever worked! Much love to y’all”, one former employee wrote.

A mother also took to Facebook to comment where she thanked the team for hiring her 14-year-old daughter.

“I feel like you helped me raise a daughter!! You took her on at Ethos, age 14, nervous and unsure of herself. She left you a few weeks ago to launch herself into yachting in the South of France and Monaco!

Confident, skilled and carrying awesome memories. Thank you Susan and Melissa. Best wishes to you and Elvis for your next adventure.”

The Freo Bar and Kitchen offered a lunch and dinner menu with the produce often changing with the seasons, much of their offerings were often shared plates and snacks with an extensive wine and cocktail list.

Young George owners Susan Whelan and Melissa Palinkas told The Sydney Morning Herald that the cost-of-living-crisis and Fremantle Traffic Bridge closure were big factors as to why they are shutting shop.

“Because we have very cyclical trade, outside of December, summer is not our best time because people in Freo want to be by the water, or they want to have barbecues … but we always thrive in wintertime,” Whelan told The Sydney Morning Herald.

She added that this pattern had been happening for the last decade and that this is the quietiest March that they have seen.

“We just had a week of trade last week and for lunches there were two sales,” she said to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Their final day of trade will be on Thursday 2 April.

It comes two weeks after other restaurants have unexpectedly shut their doors across the state.

Wellington Street restaurant Fleur announced earlier this month that it will close it’s doors in April, despite not giving a reason the Parker Group who owns Fleur attributed that the hospitality scene is “evolving.”

In February, award-winning Crown Perth restaurant announced their closure after “14 memorable years” at the luxury resort.

They will shut their doors for the final time on April 4.

The announcement follows a raft of dining developments across Perth, as the cost of living crisis continues.