A new sandwich bar in Lees has had to close temporarily after selling out within an hour and a half on launch day.
Ruger Fjord, located at the Greaves Building, opened its doors this weekend, welcoming queues out of the door and an “overwhelming” response from customers.
Described as the home of the ‘pocaccia’ – the bar’s signature pan-fried, puffed focaccia – Ruger Fjord is the latest venture from Michelin-trained chef Kieran O’Reilly.
By day, the new food spot offers sandwiches and brunch, and by night, it turns into a spritz bar with a small plates menu.
On opening day, the bar issued an apology on social media after having to turn away customers.
The post said: “We are utterly overwhelmed with the amount of people that have come through the doors today!
“We cannot apologise enough to the people that we have had to turn away. With our limited space and storage, we have exhausted all of our ingredients and will unfortunately have to close our doors for today.”
In updates posted later on Sunday, Mr O’Reilly informed customers that due to the runaway success of the first day, the restaurant would be closing “not because anything is wrong, but because everything has gone right”.
The post continued: “We need a little time to rework our production, increase our capacity, strengthen our supply chain and make sure we can deliver the quality and experience that Fjord stands for, without people queuing endlessly or missing out.
“This isn’t a step backwards; it’s a step towards building something sustainable, consistent and worthy of the support you’ve shown us.
“We’d rather pause briefly now than compromise on quality later.
“Thank you for your patience, your support and for believing in what we’re building. We’ll be back very soon, better prepared, fully stocked and ready to welcome even more of you through the door.
“This is only the beginning.”
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Judging from the rave reviews Fjord has received so far, it’s unlikely the closure will deter future customers.
Responding to the post, one customer said: “Some tasty sandwiches those today, mark my words you will outgrow those premises in 12 months. Great sandwiches, great creative fillings.”
Another said: “Amazing guys. You have absolutely smashed it and got something really special.”
Local food blogger Liam Marley in his post about Fjord said that Mr O’Reilly had “completely elevated the humble Italian sandwich and it absolutely does not disappoint”.
More updates on the reopening will be posted on Fjord’s social media in the coming days.
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