BES Utilities: Sheffield seafood restaurant NATIVE in desperate battle to switch energy supplier to survive

By David Walsh
Published 25th Dec 2022, 06:24 BST
Updated 25th Dec 2022, 06:24 BST
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A Sheffield seafood restaurant has issued a desperate plea for customers after energy bills rocketed to £7,000-a-month.

NATIVE restaurant on Gibraltar Street is battling for survival after electricity prices more than doubled in the autumn. Co-proprietor Scott Mills said bills from the all-electric kitchen were already high at £2,300-a-month, but from September they became “astronomic”.

As a results staff numbers were down from six full-time and five part-time to just three full-time and he was having to borrow from family and friends to pay wages. NATIVE is with BES Utilities, which has seen an exodus of firms over its prices, including The Steel Cauldron cafe in Sheffield.

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Mr Mills, who runs the eaterie with Christian Szurko, says they want to leave too. He has friends with similar businesses paying just £1,800-a-month, he says.

Christian Szurko, left, Scott Mills and manager Karl Nosek at NATIVE seafood restaurant on Gibraltar Street.Christian Szurko, left, Scott Mills and manager Karl Nosek at NATIVE seafood restaurant on Gibraltar Street.
Christian Szurko, left, Scott Mills and manager Karl Nosek at NATIVE seafood restaurant on Gibraltar Street.

He added: “This is everything mine and Christian’s careers have been building up, to but we are on our last legs here. It’s ridiculous to pay more when we know there are other companies charging less. We don’t want favours we just want choice.”

He urged customers to continue to visit them. The restaurant is busy over Christmas but faces a make-or-break January and February when people traditionally stay at home.

Joel Chapman, group head of external affairs, at BES Utilities, said the venue had run up a “very large balance” over the past year and it would not be “appropriate” to release them to another supplier.

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He added: “In this instance, the customer’s account has been in debt for over a year and they have accumulated a very large balance, despite us agreeing repayment plans which they have failed to meet. We will continue to work with them to try to find a resolution to their debt problems, but it is not appropriate to release their account to another supplier until this has happened.”

Christian Szurko, left, and Scott Mills at NATIVE seafood restaurant on Gibraltar Street.Christian Szurko, left, and Scott Mills at NATIVE seafood restaurant on Gibraltar Street.
Christian Szurko, left, and Scott Mills at NATIVE seafood restaurant on Gibraltar Street.

Mr Mills said BES had been in touch with him after The Star got involved and he was “optimistic” of progress towards being released.

The Steel Cauldron wizard-themed cafe on Spooner Road in Broomhill won its fight to leave BES over 'unaffordable' bills. Owners Rob and Nikki Downham had been with the firm since they opened in 2020 but said monthly charges for gas and electricity had soared from £380 to £4,500.