Following the closure of Lyttelton’s award-winning restaurant, Roots, diners with outstanding vouchers were worried that their vouchers would be unredeemable. However, a Christchurch restaurateur, Jamie Bennett, who owns Town Tonic and co-owns Story offered to redeem the vouchers for Roots diners.
So far, outstanding Roots vouchers that have been honoured total around $4000. Bennett, a firm believer in “people and hospitality,” said that he was happy to offer an alternative to customers, especially considering some of the stories that have come from the act of kindness. Bennett said, for instance, that one woman had received her voucher as a gift to celebrate her final chemotherapy treatment.
While Bennett acknowledged that the experience at Story and Town Tonic was not necessarily equivalent to Roots, he said that guests had said a lot of good things. Bennett said that he would continue to honour vouchers for bookings made before August.
