Another Manchester fine dining restaurant forced to close its doors

The fine dining restaurant owned by Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs is to close its doors within a matter of weeks.

The Rabbit – which is based in the Urbis Building in central Manchester – is the third high profile restaurant to close this month.

The venue which was formerly known as The Rabbit in the Moon will close its doors on Saturday, November 17th.

The news comes after it was announced Manchester House in Spinningfields and The Artisan are both shutting down due to lack of trade.

Manchester House

The restaurant was renamed earlier this year after chef Michael O’Hare stepped down from his role as culinary creative director at GG Hospitality.

GG Hospitality is the hotel and restaurant company co-owned by the former Manchester United footballers.

GG Hospitality said the trading figures did not justify keeping the restaurant open and shareholders want to focus on the roll out of hotels.

The new hotels include the Stock Exchange hotel in the city centre.

Michael O’Hare was bought in with the aim of winning a Michelin Star but has since returned to Leeds to concentrate on his restaurant The Man Behind The Curtain.

The restaurant missed out on a star for a second year running under new head chef John Granaghan.

A spokesperson for the restaurant said: “The team at The Rabbit will be serving its last meal on the 17th of November.

“As a result of a number of factors, the trading figures for the restaurant do not justify keeping the operation open and the shareholders want to focus resources on the roll out of hotels which are ultimately the core of the business.

“With effect from the 18th of November, the venue will be used for corporate and private events only.

“The team at The Rabbit will continue to operate the venue under the GG Events & Catering brand.”