The current business climate has sadly claimed another victim, with Mike McEnearney handing over his restaurant No.1 Bent Street to administrators in the past few days. A former head chef at Rockpool, McEnearney quickly found fame for his rustic-style salads and lunches at casual venture Kitchen by Mike in Rosebery. In 2015 he turned his attention to more sophisticated cuisine, welcoming No. 1 Bent Street to the fold. But decreasing foot traffic, as a result of light-rail construction and the booming Barangaroo development, has increasingly proven too much of a challenge he says.
“The light rail and now Barangaroo has really stopped the flow of diners,” he says, “and there’s also now a change in culture, people don’t spend like they use to. Dinner service remains popular but it’s lunch times that are a struggle. People, and companies in particular, no longer wants to spend big on lunch, even for business.”
But all hope is not lost for the CBD eatery, with McEnearney confirming that he will introduce a new venture into the same space at some point early next year. For now business will continue as usual, with the restaurant closing for the Christmas holidays on December 22, but re-opening for business…