11/10/2026
A message from Artur. Our story, and a thank you to Weston ❤️
My story with Weston-super-Mare began on 7th November 2014.
I arrived in England for the very first time with £250 in my pocket, no job waiting for me and absolutely no idea what the future would bring.
Why Weston?
The answer is actually quite simple. I had a friend who had been living here for a few years and I knew I would have somewhere to sleep.
Sometimes in life, that is all you need, somewhere to start, a little courage and the belief that somehow you will find your way.
My first job was at a mushroom factory in Langford. It certainly wasn't the dream, but it was a job and I was grateful for it.
After a few months, I found my way back into hospitality, working at Weston Beach Café and later at The York.
Hospitality had actually been part of my life long before I came to England.
Back in Poland, while studying, I worked in restaurants. I started at an Italian restaurant called Amalfi before moving to a student bar and restaurant called Cegielnia "The Brickyard". I eventually ran the business for several years and later managed two venues at the same time, The Brickyard and another bar called The Clip.
Looking back, perhaps I was always meant to be in hospitality.
I love the atmosphere of restaurants, the pressure and excitement of a busy service and, most importantly, seeing people enjoying themselves, families around a table, friends laughing together and people making memories over good food.
Deep down, I always dreamed of having a restaurant of my own.
When I arrived in Weston in 2014, I had very little money. But I had energy, determination, experience and a dream.
And many years before my journey to Weston began, another young man had arrived here with a dream of his own.
His name is Nick.
Nick came to the UK from Cyprus in 1961. He spoke very little English. His uncle had taught him just a few words and phrases: "Good morning", "Good afternoon" and "Thank you very much."
He worked his way up through hospitality in London, eventually becoming a head chef, before coming to Weston-super-Mare in March 1972 and purchasing the Mentone Hotel the building that would eventually become the Nick's that people know today.
From there, Nick and his family spent decades building the business.
It wasn't created overnight. It was built through years of hard work, long days, sacrifice and a genuine love of hospitality.
More than 50 years later, the family is still involved in Nick's.
And that's something I feel incredibly proud to now be part of.
Nick's isn't simply a restaurant to us. It represents more than half a century of one family's history in Weston and for thousands of local people, it holds memories too.
That's why the last few weeks have been particularly difficult for all of us.
We have acknowledged where improvements were required, completed the work, invested significantly in the kitchen, equipment, refrigeration, storage and working practices, and we are now waiting for our revisit.
We haven't hidden from it.
We've dealt with it.
But during what has undoubtedly been one of the most difficult periods in the history of Nick's, something happened that none of us will forget.
Weston got behind us.
The messages, phone calls and comments of support have honestly been overwhelming.
They have come from customers, local people, suppliers, other businesses, friends and families.
We've heard from people who remember coming to Nick's when they were children and who now bring their own children and grandchildren here.
We've heard from suppliers and businesses who have worked alongside us for years.
And we've heard from people who simply wanted to tell us: keep going.
To everyone who has done that, thank you.
It has meant more to me, Andrew, our families and our whole team than we can properly put into words.
Nobody at Nick's is pretending that the issues raised during our recent inspection weren't serious and we have taken responsibility for addressing them.
But it doesn't define more than 50 years of history.
It doesn't define the people who work here.
And it certainly won't define where Nick's goes next.
When I think about Nick arriving here all those years ago and building something from virtually nothing, I see something of my own journey in his.
Different countries. Different generations. Different stories.
But perhaps the same determination to work hard, create something and make Weston home.
Today we have the best of both.
We have the history, experience and family values that Nick built from 1972, together with a new generation bringing energy, investment, ideas and an absolute determination to take the business forward.
Our ambition isn't simply to recover from a difficult few weeks.
Our ambition is to give Weston-super-Mare one of the best restaurants in the town somewhere local people can be proud of and somewhere visitors want to return to year after year.
We're investing in the restaurant.
We're investing in the kitchen.
We're investing in our people.
We're raising our standards.
And we're not finished.
There will always be difficult days in business. What matters is what you do next.
We have listened.
We have invested.
We have improved.
And we will keep improving.
So finally, from me and from everyone at Nick's, thank you.
Thank you to everyone who has messaged us.
Thank you to our customers who have continued walking through our doors.
Thank you to our suppliers and fellow businesses who have stood beside us.
Thank you to our incredible team who have kept smiling and working through a difficult period.
And thank you to the people of Weston-super-Mare who have supported Nick's since 1972.
Nick started this story more than 50 years ago.
We are incredibly proud to be writing its next chapter. ❤️
