Chef admits: 'I now just don't think it's doable any more'

As burger restaurant The Mag closes, chef Geth Thomas tells Indigo Jones about how the hospitality industry is going through an 'unprecedented difficult time'

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MAG serves huge portions of delicious burgers, but fans of the restaurant will be disappointed to hear about their sad news.

(MOLLY DOWRICK/WALESONLINE)

THE MAG, formally known as the Meat and Greet Co., has closed its doors for the final time.

The restaurant in Banwen, which is mainly known for its impressive burgers and street food, decided to cease trading in this location nestled between the Neath and Swansea valleys on Sunday, September 21.

In 2017, the company was co-founded by chef Geth Thomas and his former best friend and business partner. They started off with event catering and soon moved into their Banwen location in 2018. Not long after launching their new Swansea restaurant, Go MAG, the business decided to call it a day at their original site.

The chef says the hospitality industry has seen an "unprecedented difficult time" as the economy struggles. He explained how they struggled to launch the restaurant in "the middle of nowhere".

Geth said: "At the time is was massively challenging. It was formerly a cafe that was struggling, and we came in as young chefs wanting to do cooler things in the middle of nowhere. It was challenging, but we took it on, we started as a cafe, we slowly developed it then into evening menu, grills and then into the street food kind of vibe which we are now. But it was a long process and the challenge continued the whole way through."

Now run by Geth and his sister, Lowri Miller, the business saw a boost in customers following the Covid-19 pandemic. It branched into takeaways at a time where they were becoming more popular because the public couldn't sit in at restaurants. But following this successful period they saw a gradual decline in customers due to economic factors.