Oh no! It’s time to say goodbye to XO
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Sadly, it appears we have just five months left to get our fill of Asian Bolognese, Sexy Squid and XO FC wings at Canberra’s iconic restaurant XO before the team calls it a day.
In an unexpected announcement, XO took to Instagram to announce its last service will be on 22 October.
“There’s never an easy way to say goodbye,” the announcement starts.
“But it is time to bring a close to this chapter. On 22 October we will deliver our final service and close the doors of our Narrabundah home. This will make exactly 8 years of XO. 8 years of great times and challenges on what has been an extraordinary personal and professional journey – supported by our brilliant team and a beautiful community.”
XO says “As much as we have enjoyed the ride, it is time for a change. The industry is harder than it has ever been. Rising costs, enduring skills shortages and razor thin margins make running a restaurant an extreme sport.”
“That’s leaving aside the perennial late nights, missed life events and the odd global pandemic. As a founder team we each need time for a full reset and are looking forward to what lies on the other side of this terrifying decision.”
The XO team ventured out into NewActon in 2018 with Morning Glory, which later morphed into ILY (I Love You) which was hard hit by Covid and closed a few months ago.
For those who will miss XO’s irreverent and genius take on food (that’s pretty much all of us) and mourn the hole they leave in Canberra’s dining scene, make sure to book a seat before they close the doors on 22 October. It sounds like they intend to go out with a bang!
“We have five months left to see what this kitchen is made of. We will be making every sitting count, serving XO classics from the past 8 years across a menu we will flip every 6 weeks.”
“This is not a rug sale. There will never be another XO once we close the doors and the next few months will be your last chances to get your fill of Asian Bolognese, sexy squid, bao and banh mi, XO FC wings, sticky lamb ribs and other heavy hitters.”
Thanks for the brilliant food and memories, guys. We will truly miss you.
