Tough year for restauranteurs — ‘Bamboozle’ the latest to fall

Controversial restaurant Bamboozle is the latest restaurant to close following in the footsteps of a string of restaurants to do the same. Bamboozle came under scrutiny in January of last year when its menu was branded as ‘racist’ and ‘insensitive’ for playing on Asian accents. The menu contained dishes such as ‘chirri an garrik prawn dumpring” and “suk sum teet.” Veteran restauranteur and chef, Phillip Kraal, who owns Bamboozle said that the challenges facing Bamboozle were “simply overwhelming.”
Another central Christchurch eatery has also closed owing over $100,000. A tough year has left lots of hospitality establishments struggling to stay afloat.
Peter Morrison, president of the Canterbury branch of Hospitality New Zealand said the city needed more people to visit. “Until we get the Convention Centre up and running, it’s going to be tough. It was a tough winter last year, and we are going into a tough winter,” he said.