SpudULike closes suddenly in Plymouth's Drake Circus

The SpudULike restaurant in Plymouth’s Drake Circus Shopping Centre has closed and may not reopen. Bosses at Spudulike by James Martin, as it is now called, said the diner is no longer “operationally viable” and they are looking at options and whether it will start trading again.

The outlet closed last week and it is now dark and empty with its tables and chairs packed away. The Drake Circus mall website says it is “temporarily closed”.

Jonathan Hoodless, operations director for SpudULike by James Martin told PlymouthLive: “We took the decision to close our store in Drake Circus on Monday, June 3, as it was no longer operationally viable at this time. We are reviewing all options at present and will make a decision for the long term strategy at Drake Circus in due course.”

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SpudULike was among the first outlet to trade inside Drake Circus mall after it opened in 2006. But it closed in 2019 after its parent firm went into administration amid financial woes.

SpudULike had failed to restructure its debts with creditors rejecting a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) bid which would have seen rents slashed to 10% of turnover. But a few months following the mass closures, several sites, including in Plymouth, reopened after the franchise chain was acquired by global potato supplier Albert Bartlett.

In October 2021 TV chef James Martin teamed up with Albert Bartlett to launch a new menu across the chain. The company was rebranded SpudULike by James Martin.

If SpudULike does not reopen it will leave a gaping space in the top floor of the mall. The former Cafe Curva space has been empty since January 2022 but is now reportedly under offer.

However, outdoor gear retailer Mountain Warehouse is climbing back into Drake Circus Shopping Centre just a year after it moved out. The store is due to open soon in the large upper mall unit which has been empty since Topshop went to the wall in 2021.

The return of Mountain Warehouse means the British Land-owned mall is near full again. Only the former Jack Wills unit in the Upper Mall remains unoccupied, after the clothing chain pulled out in January.

The Barcode, also British Land-owned, is also filling up with pizza restaurant Franco Manca the most recent arrival. Only one ground floor unit and the Sky Bar are currently vacant.

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