Mark Hix's The Fox Inn is set to permanently close

Mark Hix's country pub The Fox Inn in corscombe is set to shut its doors on July 17th

Mark Hix MBE announced in a Facebook post that the well-loved Dorset pub with be permanently closing. In the post, he mentions Covid and how tough it has been for the industry to rebound from it, as major reasons why continuing the restaurant has become impossible.

Along with that, he also spoke about the rising cost of supplies and the issues surrounding the recruiting and retention of staff.

The closure follows his move to Dorset from London in January 2021 after five of his restaurants were put into administration, not only that but it comes just shy of 2 years after he opened The Fox Inn.

The announcement has been met with a lot of upset, with comments on the post saying that they were "gutted" and that they would miss The Fox Inn.

Mark said: "I know that I don’t need to tell anyone how hard it has been for everyone in the industry since Covid hit, and the challenges simply continue with rising costs and a difficulty to recruit like I have never known in my whole career.

"And so, with a heavy heart, it is time to permanently close the doors of The Fox Inn. I won’t be making a big press announcement; we will simply close the doors after lunch service on July 17."

In the post he also talked about how the guests at The Fox Inn had been "such a great support" in the two years since he moved to Dorset and in his words, "started to rebuild [his] life."

He said: "The team have worked hard to make it work, both at the pub and behind the scenes. Sadly, the challenges were just too tough to make it work. I want to thank them for all their hard work, dedication, and loyalty, both to me and the business – they know who they are.

"I am feeling slightly numb having to close another business so soon after opening, but this is the reality so many of us are now facing."

However, it wasn't all bad news as the post did mention how The Oyster & Fish continues to do well and that the hope is that 'Fox guests will come and visit us on the coast as much as possible'.