A British seaside town restaurant established in 1985 has officially plunged into liquidation after new owners took over the site. MacMillans Bar and Grill in Worthing, West Sussex, entered voluntary liquidation on June 29, appointing insolvency firm AABRS to act on behalf of the business, according to filings today on the public record, The Gazette.
The restaurant had served up barbeque food, cocktails and “banging tunes” at Union Place in the seaside town, operating under the parent company of Stay Saucy Co Limited. It was a popular cocktail and fire-cooking bar known for small plates, late-night DJ events, and half-price happy hours.
However, the seaside town will not have to endure an empty spot on the high street. The venue was taken over and rebranded to ‘The Next of Kin’ by operators who have previously worked in the town on sucessful projects.
Taking to social media in February, the new bosses said: “Development of The Next of Kin is officially under way. Follow for updates. Wish us luck!”
It was transformed by the team responsible for The New Amsterdam, a popular pub in Worthing known for live events, and Signal Post, a local wine bar and taproom.
The Next of Kin will be “modern but relaxed” with the owners aiming for a “neighbourhood bar and kitchen, built for people’s chosen family”. It is now up and running.
It is unclear why MacMillans entered liquidation. Businesses tend to enter creditors voluntary liquidation when the company faces irrecoverable financial difficulty with pressure from creditors, such as landlords, suppliers or HMRC.
A CVL brings the company to a close and deals with all outstanding company debts as part of the process, with liquidators aiming to maximise the money on any assets, to provide a return to creditors.
Several businesses have entered liquidation recently, with many restaurants saying that the pressure from rising minimum wage, ingredient costs, utility bills and VAT make it hard to run a business.
Only this week, the much-loved restaurant Navaraza in Birmingham appointed liquidators. The much-loved Mexican-Indian eatery had 4.8-star ratings on TripAdvisor, with customers praising it for “great flavours” and “generous portions”.
The Express has approached MacMillans for comment.
