A SOUTHAMPTON restaurant has closed its doors suddenly, after just a year of trading.

The Diner in Westquay shopping centre ceased trading on Sunday.

A notice on the door which was put up on Sunday night revealed the restaurant’s fate to customers.

In a statement, the company said: “It is with regret that we have to say goodbye to our Southampton diner.

“We’ve had an amazing experience trading in Westquay and give our thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout our time here.

“It has been a rough year for trading which is why we have to close the doors.

“We have a strong bunch of regular customers but we need to be trading seven days a week and not just at weekends.

“The team here has been brilliant, we care very deeply for them and all staff have been offered roles in the company.”

However when asked how many staff the company employed at the Southampton branch, the spokesperson did not comment.

Hammerson, the owners of Westquay Shopping Centre also declined to comment on the closure.

The branch at Westquay was its first venue outside London, only opening in January 2017.

The Diner occupied a 584 square metre unit on the lower promenade of Westquay South, adjoining Waterstones.

The restaurant served a variety of American-style cuisine including burgers, hotdogs and pancakes.

Alongside this, the interior also featured blue leather barstools, milkshake stations and a snow-cone machine. and either pink booths or ‘classic’ seats.

The Diner was co-founded by Marc Francis-Baum in 2005, when it opened its first branch in Shoreditch and has grown to having nine sites across the capital.