The seafoodrestaurant and bar opened amid great fanfare last year, at the site of the former Waterline pub
Popular Newcastle Quayside restaurant The Jolly Fisherman has closed a little over a year after it opened.
The former Waterline pub opened to great fanfare last summer, under a new name and new ownership following a £700,000 investment, led by Heineken's pub business Star Pubs and Bars and pub restaurant operator David Whitehead.
Now, however, the restaurant has closed, leading to the loss of 15 jobs, after Mr Whitehead said high overheads made it impossible to sustain the business.
Mr Whitehead, who runs a number of other restaurants across the North East, said he was saddened to decide to closure, but that he now intends to focus onexpanding his pub portfolio in coastal areas.
The restaurateur, who closed the business on Monday, September 11, said: "It's a shame because it is a beautiful venue. It was a very sad day on monday when I had to close. I was expecting great things from here.
"Basically it hasn't worked for a number of reasons: the overheads for the size of the venue, high rents and business rates, and the staffing needed to run the venue. It was costing me a lot of money that I don't have.
"The staff have been made redundant and I have paid everyone up-to-date.
"I have put them in contact with people I know in the area - other businesses that are looking for staff - and I have managed to keep a few on at other venues."
The business had been run through a partenership with Star Pubs & Bar, the managed pub division of brewing giant Heineken.
Mr Whitehead said he was forced to permanently close the kitchen after efforts to negotiate a deal over the restaurant's rent could not be settled.
He sadi: "We were in negotiations for about six months to sort out a deal which fell by the wayside a few weeks back. From that point we knew that a deal wasn't going to happen."
Despite the Jolly Fisherman's closure, Mr Whitehead's other pubs remain open and are trading well.
Among his other venues is the well-known Jolly Fisherman in Craster, and Alnwick's Plough Hotel, which also caters for weddings.
"The others are all fine and working well," said Mr Whitehead. "I wasn't prepared to drain them any more to prop the business up.
"We are trying to expand and we will focus on the coastal regions of Northumberland."
A spokesperson for Star Pubs & Bars said: "We are very disappointed that the Jolly Fisherman has closed.
"The pub has been substantially renovated and the location is one of the best in Newcastle.
"We believe that the rent is very competitive given this prime location, and the refurbishment, we hope it will open again soon as a number of people are interested in the site."