Two restaurants in The Star Sydney have announced they are suspending trading.
Chuuka and Momofuku Seiobo announced the news this afternoon on their Instagram accounts, confirming Sunday 22 March is the last trading day for both restaurants.
Momofuku Seiobo said the restaurant will be closed until further notice.
“We believe it is in the best interest of the wellbeing of our teams and the world at large,” reads the post.
“Our company is built on the belief that there is great power in bringing people together over food, but in this extraordinary time, there are challenges and the interest of guests to consider. We are determined to get back to doing what we love as soon as we can.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B98U9R8JL3B/
Fronted by Chase Kojima (Sokyo) and Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook), Chuuka opened its doors in July 2019.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B98G76sg9dW/
The restaurant said the closure was a result of the “current economic climate”.
“As always, we appreciate the support of our Chuuka community that have made us who we are today,” reads the post. “We look forward to welcoming you back after we get through these trying and unprecedented times.”
Kojima confirmed full-time and part-time staff will be transferred to other venues in the company.
Liong and Kojima spoke to Hospitality about the creation of Chuuka and how the restaurant was a true collaborative effort.
“We have figured out a way of designing the food where we each cook a version and work out what we would change,” said Liong. “It’s nice to have a sounding board and he’s [Kojima] the main guy on the ground; he understands the customer and the team more and he makes adjustments to suit the restaurant better.”
Momofuku and Chuuka join the raft of Sydney restaurants closing today, with Lotus Dining announcing it was closing six restaurants.