One of Brighton’s night time institutions is up for sale.
The Market Diner in Circus Street has been serving up round-the-clock fry-ups, including its famous Gut Buster breakfast, to clubbers and shiftworkers for decades.
But the pandemic hit the night-time economy particularly hard, and now it appears the cost of living crisis has forced its current owner Khasan Karimov, who has been running the cafe since 2010, to sell up.
Market Diner Brighton Limited went into voluntary liquidation in September, and the leasehold is now on the market for £180,000.
The listing says: “For sale here is a well-established diner and takeaway in Brighton offering no-frills home-cooked food to a huge range of customers.
“This is a unique opportunity in terms of the business itself and also the timing of it coming up for sale.
“Any potential buyer can pick up this business which already has a healthy and consistent turnover as well as a huge potential for growth due to a building development that has just been finished, which will bring an enormous captive market to the business.
“The whole area has been redeveloped and features a beautifully paved road. The business has now been fully fitted out with a new roof, front cladding, modern furniture, energy-saving lightbulbs, an illuminated sign, and a new extractor fan.
“The premises benefit from great customer footfall, with over 450 students living across the road, and a further 600 residents having just moved in.
“Inside the new development, there are also offices and a dance studio, which attract over 50k visitors each year. This will provide plenty of passing custom for the new owner.”
The listing on Rightmove does not mention the cafe’s 24-hour licence to sell food, but instead concentrates on the new Circus Street development opposite, which already houses 450 students with 600 more regular residents due to move in.
It says the business has a healthy turnover of £350,000.
Last year, another all-night Brighton cafe, Buddies on Kings Road, closed and reopened as the Monarch cocktail bar, citing the impact of lockdown on the city’s night-time economy as a factor.
However Burger King, also on Kings Road, continues to trade until the early hours every day.
According to documents filed with Companies House, the cafe stopped trading owing £8,000 to employees, £54,873 to NatWest, £746 to a commercial water supplier and £55,000 to Mr Karimov himself.
Its listed assets include kitchen equipment, cars and computers – but not the cafe’s leasehold.
The freehold is still owned by Neal Ross, who ran the Market Diner with his father Alex and brother Alec from 1975 until they put it up for sale priced at £175,000 in 2008.
The cafe shut for a short time before being reopened by Mr Karimov in 2010.
That ground looks rubbish with all that brick-work. The outside looks rubbish.
“Typical Woke Brighton chasing another salt of the earth business out of town. Parking charges too high, shocking Green council. TOO MANY STUDENTS! Don’t get me started on the druggies and general misfits. Glad I moved out” pretty good impression of a commentator on here or the Argus I’d say?