21/09/2026
A difficult announcement from us… and it’s a long one, so buckle up! ❤️
After a lot of thought, many difficult conversations, and no small amount of heartache, we’ve made the decision that Fiorio & Co will be closing its doors later this year.
Our final day of trade will be 16th November. Please note, that this is not a decision we’ve made lightly.
For the past few years, this little restaurant has been such a huge part of our lives. We’ve poured our hearts, our finances, our savings, our energy, our creativity, and more hours than we could possibly count into creating a place that we were proud to call ours.
We’ve sacrificed holidays. We’ve put off taking time for ourselves. We’ve often put our own health and wellbeing second because we wanted to give everything we had to the business.
We consistently work between 100 and 120 hours every single week. For the last 3.5 years Tom has effectively been working two full-time jobs, while Kristy quite literally has been working two full-time jobs alongside university studies and running the restaurant.
It’s been an enormous commitment, and one we’ve made willingly because we believed so deeply in what we were building. But it has also meant consistently putting holidays, time for ourselves, friends, family and our own wellbeing on the back burner in order to give everything we had to the business. We never expected owning a small business to be easy, but we always believed that if we worked hard enough, cared enough and stayed true to what we wanted to create, we could make it work.
And in so many ways, we did. We’ve had the absolute privilege of sharing this place with all of you, and we will always be incredibly proud of what we’ve built.
There are a few reasons behind our decision, and we want to share them with you to avoid any assumptions or small town gossip.
Firstly, Tom is facing a major back surgery. This is something he has needed to have done for quite some years, but as he gets older, his body is increasingly telling him that it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
We’re still working through the logistics of the surgery and we don’t have a confirmed date yet. What we do know is that it will be a serious operation, followed by a significant period of recovery. He will need to be out of action and unable to do any heavy lifting for potentially 6 to 12months while his body heals.
That has made us stop and seriously consider what the next chapter needs to look like for us personally. At the same time, our current lease has come up for renewal, and after careful consideration, we’ve decided that we won’t be renewing it moving forward. We are extremely grateful and thankful for our wonderful landlords, Steve and Dorothy who have always been such a massive support to us and always imparted their wisdom with us.
The reality is that hospitality has become incredibly difficult. The cost of running a business continues to rise; from ingredients and supplies to wages, utilities, licencing, insurance and everything else that comes with keeping the doors open.
At the same time, the cost-of-living pressures being felt by our customers mean that people simply have less disposable income to spend on dining out. We’ve had some wonderfully busy days — and we are incredibly grateful for every single one of them — but overall, trade has changed considerably, particularly here in the Hinterland.
We’ve had to take an honest look at the viability and sustainability of the business, and what continuing would realistically require from us. And while we are incredibly proud to say that we have run a successful business (twice over – first with Italian and then with French), success cannot always be measured simply by whether the doors remain open.
We have reached a point where we have to acknowledge that working 100+ hours a week, constantly putting ourselves last and carrying so much of the business ourselves simply isn't sustainable anymore. We also never wanted to become the kind of restaurant that compromised on the things that mattered to us just to make the numbers work.
From the beginning, one of our philosophies was that when you came to Fiorio & Co, you could relax. You could take your time. There was no rushing you out the door to turn a table. You could stay, enjoy your food, have another drink, talk, laugh and simply be.
We wanted to create somewhere that felt welcoming and generous — somewhere where the experience mattered just as much as what was on the plate. We refused to sacrifice that experience or the quality of what we served just because the economics of hospitality were becoming harder. So, after a lot of consideration, we’ve decided that it’s time to close this chapter.
We are sad. We are relieved. We are proud. We are excited for what comes next. And, if we’re being completely honest, we’re probably feeling a little bit of everything in between.
But above all, we are grateful.
Grateful for every booking.
Every birthday.
Every anniversary.
Every first date.
Every bottle of w**e shared.
Every conversation at the front bar.
Every person who wandered through our doors and became a familiar face.
Every beautiful review, kind message and word of encouragement.
Every staff member who has worked with us over the years and bought joy to our little restaurant and kitchen; Lauren, Luka, Gabe, Kayla, Shai-Lee, Ed, Mel, Quentin, Eric, Erick (yes there were two of them), Darys, Salvatore, and more recently, Kristy’s parents Sharon and Shane and our hard working Elijah.
Every fellow business owner who has helped us along the way… there are too many to mention in this already long post, but know that we acknowledge and appreciate you all.
And we are especially grateful to those of you who kept coming back and made Fiorio & Co part of your lives, whether that be twice a week, or once every 6 months. You helped make our little restaurant something far more meaningful than just a business.
So, we have a few months left together — and we intend to make the most of them.
We’ll be trading as usual through to November 16th and we absolutely plan to finish on a high note!
If you’ve been meaning to come in, celebrate something with us, have one last dinner, or simply enjoy a glass of w**e and a little taste of what we’ve created, now is the time. Come and say goodbye.
We’d love nothing more than to spend these final two months surrounded by the people who helped make this journey so special.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
Thank you for believing in us.
Thank you for supporting our crazy little dream.
And thank you for letting us feed you, pour for you, and be a small part of your lives.
With love,
Tom & Kristy
Fiorio & Co ❤️
