Major restaurant chain shuts Crawley branch

Ask Italian has confirmed its High Street restaurant is one of several which has been permanently closed after Covid-19 brought business to a ‘standstill’.

A spokesman for the firm said: “The Covid-19 crisis has had a profound impact on the casual dining sector, bringing many businesses like ours to a standstill.

“Despite being a successful operator, we have had to make some incredibly difficult decisions including the permanent closure of a number of sites.”

The firm confirmed the closure with ‘deep sadness’ and said it had had to let go a team of ‘greatly valued employees’.

The spokesman added: “As things stand it was not viable to remain in our existing site but we do hope that one day we will return to the town.”