Nic Watt Closes Cāntīng Amid Prolonged Trading Challenges

Award-winning chef Nic Watt has announced the closure of Cāntīng, his modern Chinese restaurant at Commercial Bay in Auckland, after what he described as an extended period of challenging trading conditions. The restaurant has ceased operations and will enter voluntary liquidation, making it the second venue operated by Watt to close within the past three years.

Restaurant Enters Voluntary Liquidation After Extended Trading Pressure

Watt confirmed that the decision followed months of efforts to improve the restaurant's financial performance. According to his statement, the business exhausted all practical options to strengthen its sustainability before deciding to close permanently.

He said the management team introduced several operational changes, including menu updates, pricing adjustments and cost-management measures, in an effort to improve trading. However, the restaurant remained financially unviable as economic conditions continued to affect customer demand.

Watt described the closure as a difficult decision after prolonged attempts to adapt the business to the changing market environment.

19 Employees Affected by Closure

Cāntīng employed 19 staff members at the time of its closure. Watt said employees were informed after the restaurant completed its final service and confirmed that all wages and accrued leave entitlements had been paid in full before the business entered voluntary liquidation.

He added that supporting the restaurant's employees remains his immediate priority while working alongside the appointed liquidator through the formal process.

Damien Grant of Waterstone Insolvency has been appointed liquidator and will oversee the liquidation while working with creditors during the next phase.

Economic Conditions Reduced Restaurant Viability

According to Watt, several economic factors combined to affect the restaurant's performance. Reduced discretionary consumer spending, rising operating expenses, higher supplier costs, increasing fuel and living expenses, and broader economic uncertainty all contributed to lower customer visitation.

Despite introducing menu revisions, pricing strategies and tighter cost controls, the restaurant was unable to reverse the ongoing decline in trading performance.

Watt said he remained proud of what Cāntīng achieved during its operation and thanked customers and supporters who had visited the restaurant.

Third Auckland Restaurant Closure

Cāntīng opened at Commercial Bay in 2024 after Watt built an international culinary career that included leading the kitchen at the Michelin-starred Nobu in London before returning to New Zealand in 2012. He later established several restaurants and hosted the television series Testing the Menu.

The closure follows the shutdown of Inca in Newmarket in November 2023 and True Food and Yoga in 2018, making Cāntīng the third Auckland restaurant operated by Watt to close.

Following Inca's closure, the launch of Cāntīng attracted criticism from a former employee who alleged that 22 former staff members were still owed nearly NZ$67,000 in wages and holiday pay.

Hospitality Liquidations Continue to Rise

The closure comes as New Zealand's hospitality sector continues to experience financial pressure. Credit reporting agency Centrix reported in June that hospitality liquidations increased 49% year over year, rising from 268 businesses to 399. The industry recorded the second-highest number of liquidations after construction.

Cāntīng's closure reflects the broader challenges facing restaurant operators as businesses continue to manage rising costs and weaker consumer spending. 

Sources:  Hospitality Career Profile