A popular Oxford restaurant which has stood in the city for half a century closes its doors today.

The Nosebag, on St Michael's Street, opened in 1971 and has been a firm feature in the city centre ever since then.

On April 13, the restaurant announced that it would be closing its doors for the final time on April 27.

READ MORE: Oxford restaurant The Nosebag to close down

Writing on Facebook yesterday, staff said they will “greatly miss all of our wonderful customers”.

Camilla Chia, whose family owns The Nosebag, spoke with the Oxford Mail about the closure and explained it was primarily due to the pandemic.

She said it was “a miracle” the restaurant made it as long as it did after the pandemic.

Oxford Mail: The restaurant has stood for more than 50 years The restaurant has stood for more than 50 years

However, the staff crisis in the hospitality sector and foot traffic moving away from that part of the centre and towards the Westgate Centre, due to the closures of Debenhams and Boswells, also had an impact on business.

READ MORE: Oxford Co-op announces closure

She said: “A lot of our clientele were typical Boswells or Debenhams customers and the older generation, whose health was effected by Covid.”

“We have not returned to the sales that we were pre-pandemic, sadly”, she added.

Manager Mandy Craigan, who has worked for the business for 32 years, said customers were “really sad” to hear news of the closure and there was a “big outcry” on social media.

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