Struggling Shrewsbury restaurant owner 'dumbfounded' by support
- Published
Owner Jackie Smith said she was amazed by the kindness of people
A restaurant owner who said her business was fighting to survive has been overwhelmed with support after posting on social media.
Jackie Smith shared photographs of Exo Poli, in Shrewsbury, on Facebook to show the empty restaurant on a Friday night.
Since the post, owner Jackie Smith said hundreds of people had contacted her to book reservations.
"People have been unbelievably kind, I'm just absolutely amazed," she said.
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After lockdown ended, Ms Smith noticed a continuous decline in customers as people started to visit other places.
She had to close the Mediterranean restaurant for nearly three months last year due to health reasons, which had a "massive impact" on trading, she said.
"I've felt so down and I just didn't really see where to go," she added.
However since her post on Facebook, customers from as far away as Manchester and Birmingham have booked to visit the restaurant and a retired man has offered to cook for free.
"We are now fully booked to the weekend, it's just dumbfounded me."
Ms Smith said the response from the community had left her feeling really hopeful and excited for the future.
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