The grief is real.
Twenty-five years.
That’s how long Red Lantern (my restaurant) has been part of my life.
Half my lifetime.
I watched it survive the Global Financial Crisis.
The Sydney property boom.
COVID-19.
(You know… the epidemic that wiped out 95% of hospitality businesses.)
And now?
…
We’re closing shop.
…
I know.
25 years eventful years later… and our baby ‘Red Lantern’ is finally coming to its natural completion.
God, it feels awful typing that.
Twenty-five years – gone in a single sentence.
Yet, as painful as it is…
I believe my partner and I made the right call.
Here’s what most people don’t seem to understand:
You don’t quit because it gets hard.
You quit because it no longer makes sense.
We’ve been brought to our knees (quite literally) so many times by this business!
The GFC was hard.
COVID, even harder.
We know hard.
We eat hard for breakfast.
But the dining landscape has completely changed, Phuong.
So rather than renew our lease and take on another 5 years
of unique, unusual challenges…
We’re ending the chapter on our own terms.
Red Lantern terms.
It was more than just a restaurant.
Our story is one of grit, courage, resilience and love.
SO MUCH LOVE.
And no one can say we didn’t give it a f*cking red hot go!
I mean, c’mon — 25 years is a bloody good innings!
And it’s not like we’re about to stop cooking altogether.
(Believe me, my family would riot if they thought chilli salted squid nights were over at our house. 🤣)
So yes. We’ll still cook.
We’ll still feed people.
We’ll still tell stories.
Just… not for 100’s of hungry diners all at once.
After some serious contemplation and debating which lesson I should pull from this bittersweet news…
I settled on this one:
| “Endings aren’t the enemy.”
They don’t erase what was. They honor it.
They’re proof you were brave enough to start… strong enough to compete in the arena and wise enough to know when to move on.
And for us? It’s time to move on.
Red Lantern as we know it is complete.
And while I’m devastated with our decision to close shop… I can’t help but feel some sense of relief and excitement for what comes next.
We’re about to pivot HARD, Phuong!
Here’s where I’ll be pouring all my extra time and energy
Much Love
Pauline
P.S. To everyone who’s been part of this 25-year journey — thank you. Red Lantern was never just ours. It was yours too. And that’s exactly how we’ll remember it.
