In the 10-year history of Hickory's these are beyond doubt the hardest times we have encountered, we are facing unprecedented circumstances and dealing with the unknown every day.

We have ridden so many storms from financial crises to fires and floods, and have always managed to keep our doors open for all our wonderful guests, as nothing has ever been too big for us as a team to deal with. We are using our heads and hearts to work our way through these challenges, but following the government's announcement we have had to close all our restaurants.

We strongly believe that this is purely a temporary measure, but the reality of the situation is that without our guests we have no business. And, although this decision has been made for us, we do believe that there can be hope.

We must be optimistic and have hope that the threat of this virus will end, that the government's support will be enough and that we will return to work alongside our teams who we love and our guests who we love to welcome.

We are proud to be part of such wonderful communities, from the day we opened our doors in Chester almost 10 years ago and every Hickory's since you have shown us nothing but warmth and support. It has been our privilege to share so many special moments with you all; from birthdays and wedding proposals, to family get togethers, meals with friends and drinks in the bar. And, nothing beats all the incredible events and Christmas celebrations we have enjoyed together.

Every day we are working through solutions to overcome these challenges, it's going to be tough and there will be hard decisions to make but we want nothing more than our teams to be working in our restaurant, to open our doors and to welcome you all.

Until then, look after each other, pull together and make the best choices you can for you and your loved ones.

With much love from all the Hickory's team.