The owner of a popular restaurant in Reading that has since announced it will be closing at the end of the month has said that if it had been this busy they wouldn't have had to shut up shop.

The owner of L'Ortolan for 23 years Peter Newman said that they have been ridiculously busy since news broke that they were closing. 

"If everyone came like they've come this month we wouldn't have had to close," Mr Newman said. 

The French restaurant, which lost its Michelin-star two years ago, has been highly popular since it opened in 1984. 

But sadly it is closing down at the end of August and a planning application has just been approved to turn the site into offices. 

Mr Newman said that the restaurant is 'chockablock' for the next month. 

"Everybody wants to come down in the last month," he said. "The phone hasn't stopped calling with people wanting to make reservations. 

"We are looking for extra staff, and may need around three to cover all the extra tables."

L’Ortolan Restaurant has been a staple within the community for over three decades and has seen a number of renowned chefs rotate through its doors.

As part of the farewell, the restaurant has invited the public to join in the celebration of their culinary journey one last time. 

In a goodbye message to the public last week, a spokesman for the restaurant said: "Book your table now and savour the exquisite dishes that have defined L’Ortolan as one of Reading’s premier fine dining destinations.

"Let’s make our last moments together as special as the countless ones we’ve already cherished.

"The closure marks the end of a memorable chapter in Reading's culinary scene."

This comes as many other independent businesses in Reading have had to close down due to the pressures of high rental costs and the cost of living crisis. 

Once located on Union Street, the Grumpy Goat had been a staple in Reading town centre for the past 10 years.

Serving a variety of dishes, craft beers, and grilled cheese sandwiches, the community and business owners have said that they are ‘lost for words’ at the café's latest curveball.

In an Instagram Post, posted on Wednesday, October 25, the team at the Grumpy Goat said: “All good things must come to an end, but sometimes sooner than we would like.

“It is with our saddest of hearts that we must tell you that the goat’s journey has come to an end."