Back Our Businesses: How is a restaurant at the heart of Northampton town centre coping with rising costs?

With the decrease in footfall in Northampton town centre since the end of the pandemic, this week’s campaign coverage looks at how Nuovo Restaurant has fared with the increasing challenges businesses face.

The Italian and Mediterranean restaurant, located in the heart of the town centre in Abington Street, is owned by 60-year-old Stewart Wright.

He said: “Keeping on top of things is very difficult, especially with the price of products and services changing at unexpected times.

“We’re currently at the bottom of a mountain and next year is going to be tough when the utility bills support stops and wage rises are implemented in April.”

Stewart says “big costs are coming their way next spring”, and it is going to be a difficult time to navigate.

All the costs the restaurant has to fork out have increased, some in smaller increments than others. Unsurprisingly, it is utilities and fuel that has hit them the hardest – as the products have to be transported to the restaurant somehow.

The cost of goods and supplies have been continually increasing since the end of the pandemic for Nuovo, with food seeing a rise of 10 to 15 percent between then and now, so this is not a new battle they are facing.

Stewart says keeping the business running smoothly is proving a challenge when things are so uncertain.

Though the team is conscious of their utility usage, there is little they can do to cut costs for themselves. “We can’t allow the restaurant to be cold or dark,” said Stewart. “We have to go for it and make it look and be the best it can for our customers.”

Despite the repercussions some businesses in the town centre are seeing from decreased footfall, Stewart says Nuovo is not affected as it is a destination venue. Typically, people come to the town to visit them as opposed to stumbling across the restaurant, he says.

As a result of this, “business is good and the support from customers is great”, but he admits you cannot take a loyal customer base for granted as we do not know what is around the corner.

Stewart keeps prices low and any rises to a minimum so it has little impact on their customers.

With a loyal customer base that has seen them through the difficult period so far, Stewart says the only way the business can continue to thrive is if “they keep coming and spending money with Nuovo”.

“We will keep the standard high and provide our customers with the service they expect,” said the owner. “We do not cut corners and people enjoy the experience when they visit us. We hope to make it worth the money they spend.”

If you are a business owner and would like to share how you are coping with the challenges of the cost of living crisis for our Back Our Businesses campaign, email katie.wheatley@nationalworld.co.uk.