Bournemouth takeaway shuts over safety concerns in town

Nathan’s Famous, on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth, has shut its doors for good after concern for safety of staff and customers in the restaurant.

Customers noticed the American-style restaurant had been removed from all delivery platforms this week and marked as ‘temporarily closed’.

However, Nathan’s Famous has confirmed that the Bournemouth branch has closed due to challenging circumstances in the hospitality industry.

Tom Turner, chief technical officer at Nathan’s Famous, said: “A substantial increase in operational costs, including energy, rent and staffing costs, alongside ever escalating incidents of anti-social behaviour and vandalism on Old Christchurch Road have been the driving force behind our decision.

“Over the past few months our store has been subjected to multiple break-ins, vandalism, and abuse towards staff members.

“We no longer believe it is viable to offer Nathan's Famous at this location without compromising our commitment to providing exceptional value and quality to our customers, in a safe environment.”

Nathan’s Famous have been serving New York style hot dogs and burgers in Bournemouth since opening in August 2019.

However, the restaurant has now closed permanently, with the site already being cleared of furniture inside.

Mr Turner added: “Nathan's Famous has always been dedicated to delivering an authentic American dining experience.

“However, to maintain our standards without significantly raising our prices is a balance we strive to keep in favour of our valued customers.

“While we are saddened to conclude our journey in Bournemouth, we continue to serve our loyal patrons at our Portswood, Southampton location.

“We are currently exploring new opportunities to expand and bring the Nathan's Famous experience to more areas.”

The Bournemouth branch was shortlisted just last month for Deliveroo's Best Burger & American Food Restaurant award.

“Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to all our customers who have supported and enjoyed our brand over the past four years.

“Your enthusiasm and patronage have been the cornerstone of our success, including being shortlisted Deliveroo's Best Burger & American Food Restaurant award.”

Chief superintendent Heather Dixey, of BCP Local Policing Area, said: “Anti-social behaviour (ASB) has a significant impact on people’s wellbeing, quality of life and sense of security and how safe they feel in their own homes or at work.

“In order to get an understanding of ASB and crime in an area, we monitor trends and use partnership data to help inform hotspot patrols at key times – right place, right time philosophy in order to prevent anti-social behaviour and escalation into criminality.

“We would encourage anyone with concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour in the Old Christchurch Road area to please report it to Dorset Police.

“Between April and October 2023, we received three reports from this business of burglaries and criminal damage. We know the impact that a crime can have on a business and we regularly review our approach to tackle reported business crime. This includes working in partnership with local councils, retailers and business improvement districts.

“As part of our commitment to reduce ASB, Dorset Police has been notified of a funding opportunity under the Government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan and is now looking into the process and details of how to bid for it. Offers of grant funding will formally be made by the Home Office on approval of delivery proposals.

“The Force is committed to driving down ASB throughout the county. We welcome any additional financial resources that might be available to us to tackle this issue and will consider the best opportunities to ensure the greatest impact for our communities.

“The Force also works closely with partners, such as housing associations and BCP Council, and with our community safety partnerships in order to identify patterns of behaviour in relation to the locations and those responsible for ASB to prevent and disrupt ASB early before it can take a grip on our communities.

“In line with the Dorset Police Crime Plan we are working to cut anti-social behaviour so people across Dorset see a clear difference and feel safer.”