The owner of a popular city center restaurant has issued a desperate plea for help after announcing its shock closure.
Peru Perdu, located in the Whitworth Locke Hotel’s Cotton Factory on Princess Street, will close permanently at the start of June after the building’s owners gave notice. Run by owner Jennifer Hughes, the place has become as famous for the quality of its food as it is for its bold pink decor.
The South American restaurant, which serves small plates including sea bass ceviche and Chimmi chicken wings, alongside mains such as Argentinian red prawns, half a chicken marinated in charcoal and pastel de papas – a dish featuring sweet potatoes in filo pastry, is already running five years and guests consider it one of Manchester’s “best kept secrets”.
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Jennifer said on social media that she has now been asked to vacate the premises, which are located opposite Gay Village and the Campus district, with June 6 being their last day of operation at the site. She called the move “the final nail in the coffin” for the business.
“Our little South American retreat has survived many Covid lockdowns, rising costs of raw materials, heating and electricity, increasing employee wages, increasing general contractor costs, rent increases and much more that we cannot disclose yet,” Jennifer posted on Instagram. “But unfortunately the 30-day notice we had to vacate was the final nail in the coffin.
“We would like to thank all of our amazing, hardworking and dedicated employees, as well as our incredibly loyal customers who keep coming back. Thanks to our suppliers, our corporate friends, our event agents who always saw the value in what we did, and every single person who walked through those pink doors over the past 5 years.”
The news was met with disappointment from some loyal Peru Perdu customers. One person replied: “Damn this really hurts, always one of my favorite places in town.” Another said: “So proud of you and what you’ve created with Peru Perdu! We had the absolute best time here – food, service and the pink decor is perfection.” Another wrote: “My favorite restaurant in Manchester, absolutely gutted.”
One other person said: “I’m devastated!! It was one of my favorite things about visiting Manchester. Another added: “You should be so proud of our perfect little pink place @jejehughes. Your team went above and beyond to provide Manchester with incredible hospitality; against all odds and because of it, PP has become one of the most popular restaurants in town.”
talk to Manchester Evening News, Jennifer said Peru Perdu will close on June 6 with a closing party with a live DJ to celebrate the restaurant’s heritage over the years. But she hopes the party won’t be the end of the restaurant for good – and has launched an appeal to help the venue’s staff.
“We are so grateful to our incredible staff – who have been the constant heart of our pink restaurant,” said Jennifer. “That’s why we’re asking for one last hand supporting Manchester’s great hospitality industry community.
“To alert our team, we’d love to hear about any pop-up opportunities that might need quality steak, ceviche and cocktails. We have been working on some exciting menu developments recently and would love the opportunity to showcase these dishes.
“We started our journey as a three-month pop-up, but after such a warm and successful start, we have put down roots for five amazing years. Now it seems we have to come full circle.”
Jennifer asked to send any ideas and questions about the pop-ups to hello@cotton-factory.com or @peruperdu_mcr on Instagram. Tables for Peru Perda can be reserved online before closing here.