Closures of The Eagle, Graze Inn and Players a 'kick in the teeth' for Sheffield - but city's hospitality sector can bounce back

The Graze Inn and The Eagle pubs, which sit side-by-side in the middle of Sheffield's bustling Ecclesall Road announced their double closure at the end of August/early September.

The August Bank Holiday Weekend also saw final orders called for the last time at Players – a staple for many on a night out during it’s 14-year tenure in the middle of the beating heart of West Street.

These closure are clearly disappointing, they have been met with some shock and sparked a lot of debate among Star readers on our Facebook page.

Some expressed concern over the future of ‘Eccy Road’ – which has been one of the city’s go to places for food and drink for years.

One reader claimed the ‘once thriving street will be dead very soon, what a sad world we now live in.’

After the hospitality sector already took a battering during the pandemic and with crippling energy bills on the horizon it’s easy to understand those fears.

But Sheffield has a habit of bouncing back from times of crisis, and for every closure there are still plenty of new places opening up.

Zaap Thai recently opened on Ecclesall Road, meanwhile Kelu – described as a ‘Sardinian Sky Lounge’ is winning rave reviews as Kelham Island’s premier roof top bar.

In addition, El Burrito Box – selling popular Mexican burrito and nacho dishes – has also opened down at Kelham.

So there are still plenty of reasons to be cheerful about the city’s hospitality sector.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the three vacant units that once housed The Eagle, Graze Inn and Players.

They are quite large spaces and occupy prime positions in two of the city’s main food and drink hubs.

It would be good to see them being given a second life and taken over by new businesses rather than having them sitting empty.