A beloved Leeds coffee shop has left fans heartbroken today after posting a notice on its social media pages alerting them to a temporary closure.
Mrs Athas in Leeds city centre has left customers 'gutted' after it shared it would be shutting its doors for now because of 'mounting costs' and the knock on effects of 'building works' outside.
According to owners at Mrs Athas, this is having 'an almost ruinous effect' and has led to the shop's weekday trade being 'absolutely decimated.'
The post continued: "We are on the brink. If this shop didn't mean so much to me personally and I wasn't so emotionally invested in every single aspect of it then I would have already called it a day.
Image: Mrs Atha's
"Everyone knows how much this place means to me. My grandma's name is above the door. I love doing what I do. I love the people. Our amazing loyal customers. I love this city."
Owners at Mrs Athas also went on to accuse Leeds City Council of having 'no concern' for small businesses, adding that 'it is not in their interests to care.'
The statement has led council bosses to share a statement in response on Leeds City Council's official Instagram channel.
Appearing as an Instagram story, the statement from the council said: "Announcement: We are sorry to hear today about the impacts of ongoing work outside of Mrs Atha's and surrounding businesses and we have reached out to them directly to discuss how we can support them going forward.
Image: Mrs Atha's
"We would encourage businesses within the city centre to get in touch with our city centre management team if they feel there are problems that we could work with them on to find solutions."
Prior to the release of the statement by Leeds City Council Mrs Atha's owners revealed that Tuesday, 20 June would be the last day of trade for the time being whilst they take 'some time to take stock of what is going on and figure out a way to proceed.'
The closure post, which has been liked nearly 2,000 times at the time of writing, summarised: "It's a sad day. But it's not the end. It's just the beginning of a next phase.'
Featured image - Mrs Athas
Eats
Popular Leeds cafe known for its fluffy Japanese sandos is moving to a bigger space
One of the city's best independents is expanding into a bigger premises.
Shokupan on Wellington Street is a proper little gem that food-lovers across Leeds will rave nonstop about if given the opportunity.
Husband and wife team Alan and Alison took inspiration from trips around the world to bring a taste of Japan to the city and over the past few years it's gained a loyal following.
They're famed for their delicious Japanese sandos made with pillow-like fluffy shokupan bread, stuffed with everything from crunchy chicken katsu and flavourful pork to fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
But it's not all just about sandwiches, they also serve rice bowls and katsu curries as well as small bites such as chicken karaage and octopus balls.
Their food is so bloody good, that they've had to find a better location and this time it's slap bang in the city centre on Central Road.
And they're joining brilliant company too, with the likes of House of Koko and Vinyl Grounds as neighbours.
Announcing the very exciting news to Instagram, Shokupan said: "You guessed right…we are moving to Central Road, LS1 6DE. We are nearly there…
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"All the building work is complete and now we are finishing off the decorating. You might also start to see some signage appearing over the next few days…It has been lovely seeing some of our customers dropping by to see us whilst we slowly lose our sanity.
"Powered on caffeine and determination! Not long to go before we can announce our opening date and welcome you through the doors."
We can't wait to check out the new space, keep an eye on their opening date here.
Cult favourite burger chain Burgerism is officially coming to Leeds this August
Clementine Hall
An award-winning burger chain is coming to one of Leeds' suburbs.
If you don't know Burgerism, then get to know.
The Manchester-based burger chain is known by many for its incredible smash patties and quick, reliable service.
Their concept is simple: good burgers made with quality ingredients and cooked fresh to order. Delicious.
And it's not just burgers, they've also got some great wings and fries available too with a range of homemade sauces on offer for dunking, drizzling and devouring. We're a particular fan of the buffalo wings with their garlic ranch dip.
The chain used to have a dark kitchen on the outskirts of the city where people could order via Deliveroo, however this closed down and since then there's been a Burgerism-shaped hole left in our foodie scene.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Burgerism recently applied to move into a vacant shop unit in Meanwood at 605 Meanwood Road, seeking change-of-use planning permission for the former Papa Johns site which was previously only allowed to serve...well, pizzas.
And the plans have now been approved, which means Burgerism will officially be coming to Leeds. Hurray!
Burgerism's new takeaway will be walking distance from the The Meanwood Tavern, perfect for those looking for some post-pint burgers.
It will be strictly takeaway with no dine-in option available.
The brand-new Burgerism will employ 15 people from the local area with food being served between 11am and 11pm.
We'll keep you up to date as and when we find out more, but for now we're aware that Burgerism Leeds is set to open this August.
Georgina Pellant -
20th June 2023 
