Aug 7, 2019 Restaurants
The fine-dining restaurant will close on 13 October.
Auckland fine dining establishment Clooney will close its doors for the very last time on 13 October, 13 years to the day it opened. (Anyone else find that a bit spooky?)
Owner and manager Tony Stewart has said in a statement that he’s decided to close the restaurant due to health issues related to the cystic fibrosis he’s had all his life.
Stewart has been a fixture of the Auckland hospitality scene since he opened his first bar in the ‘90s, but it was the opening of Clooney in 2006 that established his reputation as a restaurateur. Clooney won Best Fine Dining Restuarant at Metro‘s Restaurant of the Year awards 2012.
READ MORE: Simon Wilson’s dinner at Clooney with AA Gill?
Stewart says he’s looking forward to ensuring the last ten weeks of operation deliver an exceptional dining experience to all diners. “I’m incredibly proud of the direction we’ve taken with Clooney and our dedication to kickstart important conversations around New Zealand ingredients and the need to get NZ food noticed.
“Our canapé selection especially has allowed us to showcase the exciting food story of indigenous ingredients, what makes them exceptional and why they contribute to New Zealand’s exciting food story.
“I chose to build a restaurant that is heavily reliant on a hands-on style of leadership, one that leads by example, a style that has bought so much satisfaction to me over the years, but now, one that is very difficult to maintain,” Stewart says in a statement.
“I want to thank all customers past and present for their support of Clooney, there have been many highs – and many challenges – but both have driven me as much as each other. I have always lived with a deep passion for the hospitality industry and can’t imagine having taken any other path than this one.
“It is definitely my intention to stay with this industry in some capacity, hopefully, one that furthers New Zealand’s culinary identity and story.”
The restaurant’s last service will be on Sunday 13 October. All vouchers will be honored for bookings up to this date.
