‘It has already been very difficult for us’
Owen’s Kitchen and Bar has been forced to temporarily close its bistro in Hale following severe water damage(Image: Owen’s Kitchen and Bar)
A popular neighbourhood restaurant and bar in Trafford has been forced to temporarily close after the weather at the weekend has caused substantial damage.
Ahead of the weekend, the Met Office had warned that heavy rain was expected to come into force across Greater Manchester over a 21-hour period.
The yellow-coded warning said there was a chance of ‘transport disruption and flooding’, with Saturday (September 20) bringing heavy showers throughout the day.
Due to the weather on Saturday, staff at Owen’s Kitchen & Bar, which is based on Ashley Road in Hale, said they have had to temporarily shut their doors due to ‘severe flooding’, which has caused their kitchen to become ‘completely submerged’.
Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here
Described as a chic bistro, Owen’s aims to bring a sense of ‘city slick’ to local neighbourhoods(Image: Owen’s Kitchen and Bar)
Staff at the bistro said they had no choice but to turn their power off for safety reasons at the weekend, but this has now meant that stock has been left damaged as a result.
Posting about the incident, the restaurant wrote on social media: “As many of you know, the heavy rainfall last night (Saturday) sadly caused severe flooding to our restaurant. Our kitchen was left completely submerged, which meant our power had to be turned off for safety reasons.
“Unfortunately, much of our stock has also been damaged, so it will take us a little while to get back on our feet.”
The restaurant, which opened in Hale last June, is the second Owen’s venue following the launch of its Urmston bistro, on Station Road, in 2023. Described as offering a ‘bit of city slick’ to the Trafford neighbourhoods, the venue’s menus stems across English and Asian-inspired dishes, like pan-roasted swordfish, pork medallions, and chilli beef samosas. It also serves a mighty Sunday roast at the weekend too.
The bistro serves a menu of English cuisine with inspirations of the subcontinent at its Hale and Urmston venues(Image: Owen’s Kitchen and Bar)
Owners Richie and Alex said that emergency services visited the restaurant – which is named after Richie’s grandad – on Sunday to help ‘pump out and clear the water’. In the update, staff said they were ‘doing everything we can to restore Owens Hale as quickly as possible’.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News today (September 22), the owners said they estimate that the damage – which filled up the entire ground floor of the venue – will cost the business more than £30,000 as a result of urgent repairs and a loss of takings across the weekend.
“It has already been very difficult trading conditions in Hale this year, since we were isolated at the end of town when the building opposite collapsed,” they explained. “As a privately owned business, trading is already so very hard this is a lot to deal with.”
Owen’s Kitchen and Bar opened in Hale a little over a year ago following the success of its first Urmston restaurant(Image: Owen’s Kitchen and Bar)
In a further blow, Richie and Alex said that the original Owen’s Bar venue in Urmston has also now had to close today due to burst pipes in the area resulting in no running water. “As a privately owned business, trading is already so very hard this is a lot to deal with,” they added.
The news of the Hale restaurant’s temporary closure received an outpouring of love from the local community and regular customers of Owen’s. One person commented: “I’m really sorry to hear that. Looking forward to you reopening and will come in to support you then.” Another said: “I am so sorry to hear your news. Hope you’re up & running soon.”
Another person wrote: “Hope you are able to have a fast turnaround.” One other commented: “Ahhh good luck with the clean up!”
It is hoped that the Hale venue will reopen on Wednesday. Owen’s Kitchen & Bar is on 106-108 Ashley Road, Hale, WA14 2UN.
Join our Manc Life WhatsApp group HERE