Worcester news has been given a firm ending: Slug & Lettuce in Worcester city centre will permanently close after more than 15 years at The Cross. The announcement leaves one of the area’s long-running venues facing a shut door, with no closure date set out in the statement.
Slug & Lettuce, Worcester, said the site is no longer commercially viable after careful consideration and despite its best efforts. A spokesperson said: "After careful consideration, and despite our best efforts, the site is no longer commercially viable, and we have taken the difficult decision to close Slug & Lettuce, Worcester."
The Cross and St Nicholas Church
The venue has occupied St Nicholas Church for over 15 years, after moving from the Cornmarket site. That building has a longer public history behind it: its distinctive tower and the building were rebuilt in the 1750s, it was formally listed as a Grade II property in 1954, and it closed as a church in 1989.
Slug & Lettuce also had an original branch in the Cornmarket in the 1980s, before the later move to The Cross in the early 2000s. The site then continued as a bar and restaurant location, which is why the permanent closure now affects a place many local customers will remember across different periods of its life.
Stonegate and the hospitality sector
Stonegate said the branch is no longer commercially viable and that it had been forced to make the difficult decision because of significant challenges facing the hospitality sector. That makes the closure more than a local change of tenancy: it reflects a business judgment that the site can no longer justify continued trading in its current form.
The chain also said it would like to thank its hard-working team for their commitment and dedication, and would also like to thank its guests and the local community for their support over the years. For customers and staff, the immediate reality is simple: the venue is going, but the announcement does not give a closing date, so the last day of service has not been set out.
