"I'm gutted" - shock as Snookies & Co closes in Southsea having only been open a matter of months

The name was a nod to the popular bakery that was based in the building for decades having opened in the 1970s. Snookies & Co owner Kas Miah wanted it to be a dedication to the former owners but after deciding to cut his losses and close the café after less than three months he has said the name was its “downfall”.

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He said: “When we opened I put the name Snookies in to dedicate it to the previous owners but by no means were we the original Snookies. People came in saying it looks great but it’s not the old Snookies menu.

“Every time people came in they were comparing it with the original Snookies from the 70s and 80s. They wanted the egg and cress roll and the fresh cream cakes. We couldn't afford to do it at the prices they had previously and we also did not want to copy it either.”

It was not just the name which caused an issue, having initially planned to open in the summer it was delayed to December which meant it started on the back foot. It became apparent to Kas early on that the concept was not working with a lot of work needed to turn its fortunes around.

He said: “We were bleeding money and it was unsustainable. I’m experienced enough to know what is going to work and what is not going to work quite quickly so it was time to cut our losses and new people are now taking it over.

“I’m gutted, its very unfortunate that it didn’t work but the Snookies name was its downfall.”

The space is now set to be turned into a fine dining Indian restaurant with more details to follow.