Taunton Silvan’s restaurant closes permanently

Silvan’s, on High Street, closed last Saturday (October 14) due to the increased cost of living and other factors.

Owner Aksen Karaalp, who also runs a food van on Fore Street, said raising costs, lack of staff, and work/life balance were the main reasons behind his decision.

He said: “The main reason was I was struggling to run two businesses in a similar industry and in the same town.

“I was not finding niche, skilled people to work with, and for me, it was difficult to operate.

“The time wasn’t right from the start – wages, and bills all going up and it was difficult to keep going.”

Silvan's food van on Fore Street (Image: Silvan's)

Mr Karaalp, who has been running the food van for seven years, opened the restaurant in July 2022.

He added: “We opened in July 2022 first doing takeaway and then we opened properly in September.

“During the last four months I realised it was not viable. We were quite busy with our events but despite that, the restaurant wasn’t making any money.

“Rent, insurance, stock, and the food we serve is high quality and we need to make sure we maintain that.

“It was early to say. A restaurant needs two or three years to break even but I couldn’t keep going at the same pace and I had to think about my family.

“There wasn’t enough staff. My family was involved and there was no balance.

“We have the van, we owned it for seven years and it’s well-established. This is what we are.

“We have a nice plan for next year. We are going to make a few changes. We are going to focus more on what we are and what we are doing now.

“We had wonderful customers and they really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere and I am grateful for that.”