Devastated Edinburgh owners shut restaurant due to 'ridiculous' experience
Dea Delossi, co-founder of Sora Lella and Sora Diana, confirmed the "bittersweet news" and said prices became too high running two businesses in the capital.
Sora Lella, located on Brougham Street, closed up and the premises will be passed on. The 38-year-old business owner added it was a "hard decision" and "if they could keep it open, they would".
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However, its sister restaurant Sora Diana will remain open and will incorporate some of Sora Lella's beloved pasta and pizza dishes on the menu.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Dea said: "When we put our forces together to support both businesses, we realised the expenses were too high - it's ridiculous how much the expenses are rising.
"We realised we had to give up something so we decided it was time to close it. We are giving away the premises but we will maintain the name. The other restaurant will remain open and we will focus everything on it.
"A lot of people love the restaurant and we didn't want to let them down so we are going to take the best sellers and add them to the menu - including some of the pasta dishes. We are also going to add pizzas too and invest in pizza ovens."
Dea believes there is not enough support out there for independent businesses and taking something on is a "big risk".
The restaurant officially closed its doors on June 30.
She added: "It is really sad and it was a very hard decision for us. We tried to do whatever we could to keep both restaurants open and if we could, we would.
"It's a really tough time. If I could go back in time, I would have taken on a smaller space - it was a big investment for us.
"Being a business owner is really challenging and it's a big risk people take. There is not a lot of money around, people are losing their jobs or they're not paid fairly - it's not an easy period at all."
A message from the team on social media reads: "We have some bittersweet news to share.
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"Sora Lella has closed its doors permanently but we're really excited for our new chapter at Sora Diana.
"Fear not, we'll be taking the pizza oven to Sora Diana and will be combining the menus to serve customers' Sora Lella favourites alongside our most popular Sora Diana dishes. Stay tuned for a refreshed menu coming soon.
"All Sora Lella bookings have been contacted. You can find Sora Diana at 19-21 Causewayside, Edinburgh, EH9 1QF."
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