‘Our hearts are broken’ - Didsbury 'institution' Greens owned by Simon Rimmer announces shock closure

A much-loved vegetarian restaurant run by chef Simon Rimmer has announced its closure. Greens in Didsbury is set to close after 33 years, with the team saying they "can no longer make it work" after their landlord increased rent by 35%, and rising costs have made it "impossible" to continue.

The popular dining spot, which has been located in the heart of West Didsbury since 1990 revolutionised vegetarian dining, but shared news of its closure in a heartbreaking post this afternoon. Its second branch, which opened on Sale's Stanley Square in the summer of 2022 will continue to operate.

Chef Simon Rimmer, best known for his role on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and his business partner Simon Connolly opened Greens in Didsbury on Lapwing Lane more than 30 years ago. It was trailblazing for it's time, helping bringing vegetarian cuisine into the mainstream for Manchester diners.

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In a post titled 'Our hearts are broken', they wrote: "With great sadness we have had to close the doors on Greens Didsbury for good after 33 fantastic years.

"We can no longer make it work - our landlord has increased our rent by 35%, that together with increases in power, food and staff costs have made it impossible for us to continue, we'd like to thank every single customer, member of staff, supplier and our friends and neighbours for being part of the journey.

"Our sister restaurant in Sale is still open and we'd love to see you all there to help the Greens story continue. If you have a reservation with us we'll be in touch. Love thanks and keep terrifying the carnivores. Simon and Simon. "