“It is with the heaviest heart and the greatest sadness that we announce the closure of Bochelli’s restaurant after an amazing journey with over 20 years in business,” the statement from owner Declan McLoughlin and his family said.
The family said the decision followed “consistent increasing costs within the hospitality sector”, including rising food and utility bills and “a recent increase in rental costs”.
They said the closure of the Cliff Walk had led to “a dramatic effect on turnover” with “a 20 to 25pc decrease in sales and a loss of over 350,000 people walking annually”.
They also said “the train service to Greystones has also been a great disappointment with every bank holiday being compromised with no service”. The statement added that “recent budgetary decisions” had further affected small businesses.
Located on Church Road, Bochelli’s has been a family-run restaurant embedded in the life of the town for more than two decades. Over the years, the restaurant has hosted christenings, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings – the setting for milestones across generations.
“Bochellis has been a family run business in the heart of the Greystones community and has been an integral part of the business community and the development of the town,” the statement said.
“Bochellis has been the beginning of many a love story, from first dates to proposals. We have witnessed children become adults over two decades. This all has been part of a memory bank that will never leave.”
Their community work included hosting Chernobyl children’s events and hosting the Christmas dinner on Christmas Day for many years for their homeless friends within the community, which McLoughlin said were “some of the best Christmases my family have ever experienced”.
McLoughlin also thanked past and present staff, writing: “To the many, many staff that have flowed through the doors of Bochellis, old and new, I would like to thank them all for the hard work, dedication and commitment to the business over the years.”
“This post is possibly the saddest message I have ever had to compose. As I move onto a new chapter in my life, I wish you and all our fellow business people in Greystones happiness and success in the future.”
The announcement prompted a large response online, with customers reminiscing about the restaurant’s role in their lives, describing the closure as the “end of an era” and saying that “a bright light in Greystones has gone out”.
One person wrote: “Went with my mum regularly as a child, had my engagement celebration there, and in recent years brought my own little one in.”
Another commenter described the restaurant as “a staple in the town for so many families” and thanked the owners for “all you’ve given back to our community”, recalling celebrations of confirmations, graduations and birthdays.
“My wife and I had our first date there, along with many other anniversary meals and date nights,” a commenter wrote, while another said: “It’s ours and our children’s favourite restaurant… every Christmas Eve since we moved here… We will miss it dearly.”