Régis and Alex Crépy launched Amélie Restaurant and the Café at Ben's Yard on the Stuntney Estate in Ely in 2024.

But tough trading conditions have led the father and son team to announce that the business has entered into voluntary liquidation today (April 2).

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Amelie Cafe and Bakehouse (Image: Amélie Restaurants)

"After much careful consideration and with great sadness, we regret that Amelie Restaurant and the Café will be closing its doors on Thursday, April 2, as we enter voluntary liquidation," they said.

 "This has been such a difficult decision to make and follows a sustained period of challenging economic conditions which have made it no longer viable for the business to continue operating.

 "We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received from our loyal customers, the hard work and dedication from our staff as well as the wider community.

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Ben's Yard (Image: Amélie Restaurants)

 "We’d also like to extend our sincere thanks to the local media for their continued interest, wonderful support and help spreading the word about the Amelie flammekueche – we’re really grateful and leave with appreciation for the connections we have made."

Before the Crepys took it on, the 50-cover café and 150-cover restaurant was run by the owners of the site. After nine months in charge they decided to take a back seat and let someone else manage it.

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Régis - a classically-trained French chef - ran a number of well-known fine dining restaurants in Suffolk before selling the businesses.

He and his son started the Amélie restaurant brand in 2018 with a "fast-food" Flammekueche outlet at the Grafton Centre in Cambridge - but the shopping centre later closed.

They brought Amélie Restaurant and Amélie Café & Bakehouse to Ben’s Yard - an independent retail village - in 2024.

Before selling up, Régis - who lives in Lavenham - built up a fine dining business over 32 years to include the Great House at Lavenham, Mariners in Ipswich and Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds.

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Dishes which were served at Amélie Restaurant (Image: Amélie Restaurants)

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