THE owners of a Ross-on-Wye café announced its closure in October and have now stated that the business unsustainable and revealed the financial pressures behind their decision.

Katie and Mark Charter had been operating Maggie's Place for the past year and said that they were proud of what they had achieved, despite not having any previous hospitality experience.

They couple said that Maggie's Place, named after Katie’s late Nan, Margaret who passed in 2024, was built around high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, but admitted the higher costs may have put some people off and adding that their attempts to reduce prices ‘did nothing’.

The statement on social media said they were ‘too stubborn to sacrifice on those values and ethics for the sake of (potentially) more customers.

The owners said that the fixed costs when compared to their income made it difficult for the business to provide them with a wage.

The couple explained: “You can do well in every single thing - the marketing, the customer service, the products, but if it doesn't do well financially, there comes a time when things have to change because our lives are seemingly dictated by the financial system.

“And for us that meant closing. You have to look at why it's not working out financially from a logical perspective.

“Firstly, the cost of our goods we sold at Maggie's - it was on the high end, and I understand that it's not affordable for a high percentage of the population.

“One of Maggie's values was high-quality, sustainable ingredients and menu - this includes sourcing local and fresh at a higher price.

“If you're going to give us your well-earned money, it should taste exceptional in our opinion.

“Had we switched to cheaper products, our stock costs could've halved overnight - probably even less. And to be honest, I don't think people would've cared or noticed. But we would've.”