Madam Woo to close Dunedin restaurant due to 'skilled labour shortages'
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Eighteen jobs will be lost when Dunedin's Madam Woo restaurant closes this week – just three years after it opened.
The restaurant, which focuses on Malaysian hawker food, will close on Thursday, a note on the window of the Stuart St restaurant said.
'We have loved serving you, your friends and family at Madam Woo,' the note said.
'Ongoing skilled labour shortages' were cited as a reason for the Dunedin closure.
READ MORE:
*** Celebrity chef brings Madam Woo to Christchurch
* Restaurant review: Madam Woo
* Us Two: Josh Emett and Fleur Caulton of Rata and Madam Woo's**
The business would instead focus on its other restaurants, located in Queenstown, Christchurch, Hamilton and Takapuna.
Michelin-starred chef Josh Emett and his business partner, Fleur Caulton, announced their plans to open a Madam Woo branch in Dunedin in mid-September 2015.
It was their third branch of the restaurant, following branches in Takapuna and Queenstown.
'Josh and I both love the vibe of Dunedin. It has history and a real sense of itself but it's also progressive and has a great energy and artistic component that we think will really embrace Madam Woo,' Caulton said at the time.
Caulton said on Tuesday that 18 affected staff were told of the company's plan to close the branch on Monday.
Many had indicated they would take up jobs elsewhere.
The company spent about eight months mulling over the decision, but ultimately decided to close the restaurant because of ongoing problems finding senior kitchen staff, she said.
There was a reluctance from such workers to stay in Dunedin or move to the city from other centres, she said.