Downtown Hamilton restaurant Nique to close its doors

A downtown Hamilton restaurant that made headlines for bucking pandemic rules is closing its doors.

In an Instagram post earlier this week, Nique announced that their final dinner service would take place on the evening of April 22, calling it the end of an era."

The Vine Street eatery's closure comes nearly four months after the business filed for bankruptcy in late December 2021, as previously reported by The Spectator.

At that time, owner Harrison Hennick told The Spectator that the decision to file for bankruptcy was based on the restaurant having a debt that was completely insurmountable."

He said the move was unrelated to the pandemic, claiming the business had actually been incredibly lucrative throughout the last year."

The restaurant temporarily shut their doors at that time but had since reopened, according to their social media.

In their most recent post, the business didn't provide a clear explanation as to what prompted the permanent closure but noted that there comes a time when enough is enough."

The last year marked a tumultuous time for the restaurant, which gained notoriety last fall after Hennick told The Spectator he would not be enforcing the province's proof-of-vaccination mandate that was introduced in mid-September.

The restaurant was later temporarily closed amid a Ministry of Labour investigation and faced several charges under the Reopening Ontario Act. Nique had also been listed for sale in early October 2021.

In the post, the business thanked those that had both supported the restaurant and encouraged them to keep fighting our fight."

The business also thanked their staff members for their willingness to put up with constant visits from city or provincial officials, and the demands of an everyday restaurant operation."

I am stronger today because of you, I am humbled by your unwavering commitment to a cause that was worth every bit of fight we put into it," read the post. I cannot tell you how grateful we are for the last year we have had in this amazing space."

The closing event will feature at DJ, according to the post.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com