Announcing the news on social media, chef and restaurateur Simon Wood shared that his restaurant, WOOD, located in Manchester’s Deansgate area, has closed effective immediately. He cited rising costs, business rates, and COVID debt as contributing factors to the closure.
“We have had 7 years as part of the Manchester City dining scene and I’m very proud of what the team and I have achieved,” he stated. “Sadly, with COVID rent arrears now being demanded by our landlord and an increasingly difficult marketplace, including soaring energy costs, ingredient prices, and upcoming steep business rates, we just cannot make this work. I’d like to thank everyone for your support and patronage over the years.”
Wood, a former MasterChef winner, opened WOOD in Manchester in the summer of 2017, aiming for an unfussy experience with approachable staff, comfortable seating, and dishes that guests would want to order repeatedly. Previously, he operated Wood Chester at Hotel Indigo, but that restaurant did not reopen after the COVID lockdown, as he believed a shift toward a set tasting menu was not suitable for the hotel restaurant concept.
