The owners of one of Wales’ best restaurants have spoken out about their decision to close their doors next month. Slice in Swansea will shut for the final time in October – but chefs and owners Chris Harris and Adam Bannister said it’s nothing to do with costs.
The food spot on Eversley Road, which opened almost 13 years ago, has long been considered one of the best places to dine in the city, but will close its doors for the last time on October 24.
Chris and Adam said the decision to close was made in order to have a better work life balance and enjoy time with their families.
Since opening in 2014, Slice has made quite the name for itself thanks to its contemporary menu. It even found itself featured in the Michelin Guide and Good Food Guide.
Then in 2015 Adam won the Welsh title on the BBC’s Great British Menu and competed again in 2016.
Chris and Adam have now decided that it is time to close their doors, and they hope to go out with a bang. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here
The pair met 22 years ago studying in college in Swansea. Since then they’ve worked together in various restaurants, moved away from home and moved back again, before ultimately deciding that they wanted to start their own business.
In 2014 they took the plunge and opened Slice, named after the shape of the building which looks just like a piece of cake. They could only fit five tables which can sit a maximum of 16 guests, and this is how they became known for their intimate yet electric dinner setting.
When they decided to open their restaurant in Swansea they had no idea what to expect, and questioned whether or not people would like their food, but they stuck to their guns and opened in their hometown.
Chris said: “Obviously, starting our career in Swansea was hard back in the day, cause the food scene 20-odd years ago was not the best. But we said ‘we’re going to stay true to ourselves, we’re going to do what we want to do, and hopefully people will like it as well’.
“We like to let the ingredients do the talking for us, and it sort of worked. Obviously, we were never sort of expecting to still be here 13 years down the line and as busy as what we’ve been. So that was a bit of a shock, but a good shock.
“As soon as we opened the doors, it was crazy. The first sort of year it just went nuts, we had a six-week waiting list from the start. We never thought that it would be like that, and as we progressed we grew. The waiting list got ridiculous, we were looking at six months in advance.”
They pride themselves on being a “little neighbourhood restaurant” which has grown with the community. Chris’ wife Lyndsay works as front of house for the business, and often the chefs’ sons will pay a visit to the restaurant to help out in the kitchen.
Chris said: “So, obviously myself, Adam, my wife works here as well. The boys come in here whenever they want to. My son loves coming in and it’s nice because he doesn’t actually see it as work.
“He just comes in, and he’s like, ‘ah, can I do a bit of cooking today?’ It’s lovely that he gets involved and it’s the same with Adam’s little boy as well.”
Despite family playing such a big part in what makes Slice special, Chris, Adam and Lyndsay have decided to call time on the business so that they can spend more time with their children.
Adam said: “It’s a big decision and a really hard decision obviously. We love what we do, but the industry’s quite demanding. We work very unsocial hours and it’s hard. The passion for the food and what we do is still there, but we just want more time off on a weekend to spend time with family.
“I’ve got a boy who’s eight years old, and my wife doesn’t work in the industry either, so fitting seeing her is hard. It’s a very strange feeling, and we love what we do, we’re going to miss it.
“It’s a decision that’s not been made financially, because the business is good and we’ve got brilliant customers. It’s just the fact that, unfortunately, if you own a restaurant, you’ve got to work a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I suppose when you have children it doesn’t really mix.
“We’re quite unique because there’s three of us that work here, and for the business to work the three of us have got to be here. So it’s not like we can go, ‘oh, you can have that Saturday off, and you can have that Saturday off’.
“Unfortunately, we’re either open or we’re closed. So it is a tough one, but it’s also something exciting, because I’m looking forward to being able to spend a bit more time with my son.”
Regular customers and locals have all expressed their disappointment that the restaurant is closing, however they have shared their support for the business owners.
Chris said: “It’s been sad for everybody, us included. It’s a massive part of our lives after 13 years. It was difficult to make the decision and I still get a little bit emotional now talking about it, but it’s just one of them sort of things. It’s not really sustainable us doing all this with the boys.
“Everybody has said they’re really gutted, and everybody’s words have been really touching, which has been lovely for us to see. When we put the post out, it was really overwhelming and it’s just something that we weren’t sort of expecting.
“It’s lovely to see that something that sort of started from not a lot, just two boys who just had enough of working for people, to sort of like build this community, it’s just been amazing.”
Adam added: “I didn’t realise how how hard it was going to be, until we started speaking to people and the response that we had from people. People are disappointed, but also understand why.
“I think that’s like the hardest thing for us, we really do feel part of the community. People travel from quite far to just round the corner. But we’ve always set out to be a little local restaurant, doing good food, and making people happy.
“It’s something that we have done. I suppose when we said that we were finishing, that’s when we really realised, ‘oh, right, okay, we really are part of the community’.
“I’d just like to say a big thank you to everyone for supporting us over the last 13 years. We’ve been really fortunate and we really are grateful to each and every person that comes and has come through the door.
“This is like a second child to both of us. We do love it to bits. But I suppose it just comes down to the fact we do love our children a little bit more, and you’re only given one shot at life, so I think it’s important to try and do it right. That was fundamentally the reason we came to the decision we did, but it wasn’t easy.
“We’ve had customers coming in in tears, we’ve had some lovely cards, we’ve had lovely voicemails, we’ve had people coming in and stopping you on the street. I think we’ve always understood that we’ve got a really good client base that have been with us for 13 years and supported us through everything and been great for us. I suppose sometimes you don’t realise how much you can touch people with what you do.”
The restaurant is officially closing its doors on October 24, but if you’re hoping to dine at Slice one last time you may be disappointed to hear that they are fully booked until their very last day of service.
Adam said: “As soon as we put it out there, we pretty much filled up within two to three weeks, like everything was gone and our cancellation list is massive.”
Unfortunately, as Chris is due to have heart surgery and will be in recovery when they close their doors, they won’t be doing anything special to celebrate their final service. However, they have said that this isn’t the end for them and there could be a chance of a pop-up in the future.
Chris said: “We have had offers to do a final sort of service elsewhere, which is lovely that a business has said to us that we could fill their restaurant with our regular customers and do our last day there, so I’m actually there cooking as well.
“It’s on the cards. But obviously, it all sort of depends on recovery then, so obviously we don’t want to commit to anything.
“Something that’s quite important for us to get across is that we haven’t lost the passion for food, so we will do pop-ups. I don’t even necessarily think it will be one last hurrah. I think it could be one more, one more, one more. I do see us doing a few things, so there’s definitely going to be an opportunity to eat our food in different places.
“Also, there’s always scope for something else down the line. When the boys are 15, and just want to hang around with their mates and then we’ve got free nights. The restaurant industry isn’t going to go anywhere, but our time with the boys will go.”
Adam said: “Chris has got a big operation coming up, and as soon as that’s done, then we’ll get our heads down and we’ll get something sorted.
“We’re not going to leave the industry, we’re just not going to be working nights. It’s going to have to be something more family-orientated. So, it’ll be a change in direction, but I’m pretty certain I can speak for both of us and say that our fundamentals have always been the same. You do something once, and you do it right, and that’s how you survive.
“We try to be the best, the best that we can be, and I suppose that is what has kept us going, and we want to take that into the next venture whatever that might be.”
Fear not, the business have teased their new venture Slice Eatery on social media. Nothing is confirmed just yet, however they have said “something is in the pipeline.”
