A POPULAR vegan restaurant in Bournemouth has been forced to reduce its opening hours amid “difficult times”.

Twelve Eatery will be closing for two days a week and changing its opening hours in an attempt to battle the industry’s staffing issues and rising costs.

Dalton Mello, co-founder of Twelve Eatery, told the Daily Echo that it seemed the “best thing to do”.

He said: “I think everyone’s in the same boat with the current climate, but most people aren’t putting it out there how difficult it’s been.

“When you combine not having enough staff and higher prices, it seems to be the best thing a do.”

Dalton explained that Twelve Eatery’s staffing issues were kickstarted post-Brexit, and have been worsened by the nicheness of the menu as it limits the chefs they can employ.

He said: “We’ve been trying to find skilled people.

"Our team here now is our most valulable asset, but I don’t want to have to overload them, they’ve been with us a long time."

This, partnered with a cost of living crisis, has put Dalton and his business in a very difficult position. He added: “There’s been a hike in utility prices, especially when you talk about the cost of high quality produce, and all the other great produce around us.

“We love to support this produce and these businesses- Twelve is a sustainable business. We have to keep it that way. We don’t want to change that by cheapening the produce.”

The changes to Twelve Eatery were announced on Saturday in a Facebook post. It reads: “It is with a heavy heart that sadly, we will have to close our restaurant for a few days a week for the unforeseen future.

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“We absolutely love what we do and this was not where we wanted to be right now, but hopefully this is right decision so we can do our best to keep it going in 2023.”

The post has since been flooded with comments from Twelve Eatery customers showing their love and support.

Dalton said: “We wanted to put it out there so that people understand the reasons for it.

"The responses and the messages have been amazing. The kidness from the people is what keeps us going. It makes it worth while for the team who work extremely hard."