Fresco's has served its last meal

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10: One of Bermuda’s most famous restaurants and bars has called time due to the crash in the economy.

Fresco’s Bar and Maria’s restaurant in Hamilton’s Chancery Lane shut up shop suddenly last Saturday — leaving regular patrons in the dark.

Paul Harshaw, a partner in Canterbury Law, which represents restaurateur Claudio Vigilante’s Associated Cuisine, said yesterday: “Associated Cuisine is no longer in operation.

“Owing to the current economic climate in Bermuda, the company had no alternative other than to apply to the court of it’s own winding up.”

It understood a writ requesting winding up the businesses was registered with the courts earlier this week.

Fresco’s had been in business for around 13 years, having previously been the Chancery Wine Bar.

Joanne MacPhee, executive director of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, said: “These matters were discussed earlier in the year and it was feared then that a number of businesses would be challenged to keep going during the current economic climate.

“Our restaurants were probably the first to feel the impact of the recession. As soon as we started to see the exodus of middle and senior management — who were the ones who used these establishments — they started to suffer.

“This news is not a surprise to the Chamber or to restaurateurs that some of their colleagues have seen such dramatic shrinkage they have had no other option than to close down.”

Ms MacPhee added that Chamber research had shown that for every five work permit holders who leave Bermuda, one Bermudian job was lost.

She said: “We need to get more people back into Bermuda to work here — we need to rebuild our overseas workforce in Bermuda. The policy of protecting jobs for Bermudians has hurt the economy.

“The prosperity of our international workforce is directly linked to that of our local workforce.

“It’s no longer just about creating jobs for Bermudians. It’s about creating jobs full stop.

“Government has been hearing this message from the industry for more than a year, but whether they can take action in this present economic climate remains to be seen.”

Fresco’s and Maria’s were the last parts of Mr Vigilante’s former business empire after O Bar in Hamilton’s Bermudiana Road shut its doors in September.

The city bar, formerly Opus, closed in 2011, but reopened later that year with a new name and a new image, with the aim of attracting a wider selection of customers.

Front Street’s Silk, which specialized in Thai cuisine, and sister restaurant 64 Degrees at Port Royal golf course, both closed their doors earlier this year.

The two had been part of the Fresco’s group, run by Mr Vigilante, up until last year.

But Silk and 64 Degrees had a change in controlling shareholders and Mr Vigilante parted company with the restaurants.