Sausage and Suds Favorite Stuff'd Bricked Up
And the hits just keep coming.
Yet another hutong favorite has fallen on hard times, thanks to the relentless bricking-up of street-level businesses across town. Last week, laborers arrived at Stuff'd – a popular British-style pub grub joint owned by Will Yorke of Arrow Factory Brewing and The Vineyard Cafe fame – and began laying bricks at its entrance.
Laborers began bricking up the entrance at Stuff'd last week
"I feel this year has kind of sucked regarding my restaurants," Yorke tells the Beijinger. That sentiment is understandable, seeing as the long-time restaurateur had to suddenly shut down his nearby Vineyard Cafe restaurant earlier this year as well.
Yorke's neighboring Vineyard Cafe was suddenly closed earlier this year
But even though the entrance is being bricked, Yorke says Stuff'd won't succumb right away. The restaurant will remain open for the time being, and patrons can enter via the side entrance.
For now, patrons can still enter Stuff'd through this side door
However, Yorke is not sure how much longer the restaurant will be able to stay open, now that the laborers have set to work on the entryway. Nevertheless, he plans to carry on at Stuff'd and remain in operation for as long as possible.
Yorke at the original Vineyard a few years back
Fans of Yorke's F&B feats shouldn't get too disheartened – he still has other thriving businesses in more stable parts of town: his new Chaowai SOHO Vineyard Cafe and, of course, the DRC Arrow Factory Brewing.
Nevertheless, the issues at Stuff'd will only add to the heartache of Beijingers still distraught over numerous other such closures, from fellow hutong haunts like Mas and the original Vineyard, to Sanlitun hot spots like BBC and Rollbox, along with many, many others.
Indeed, patrons who make it to Stuff'd today or in the near future to enjoy the nook-ish venue's charms, while they still can, might also feel like they're marking an end of an era for street-side businesses in Beijing.
Photos: Courtesy of Will Yorke
Top Stories This Week:
Beijingers Are Buzzing About: