The Spinningfields restaurant that has been used to film Channel 4's First Dates could close.
The news comes as its owner, restaurant group Drake & Morgan, plans to enter a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), which would see three of its 22 sites close for good.
The Refinery, which opened on Hardman Boulevard in 2017, is one of the three restaurants on the proposed chopping block.
The glitzy bar and restaurant has been used for the most recent series of hit dating show First Dates, since production moved up north for the first time in 2020.
Other bars that would close under the proposals are the Allegory and the Listing bars in London, though the company said affected staff will be offered alternate roles.
Drake & Morgan bosses say they are trying to create some 'breathing space' for the business to recover after 'unprecedented and challenging' trading conditions.
Founder and chief executive Jillian MacLean said: "We started last year as a profitable and growing business and, in common with the rest of the hospitality industry, have been significantly affected by repeated lockdowns and tier restrictions.
"This course of action, if approved, will safeguard the future of the group and give it the breathing space it needs to recover.
"We would like to thank all our stakeholders for their support during this challenging period."
Drake & Morgan are also behind The Anthologist on St Peter's Square, as well as venues across London and Edinburgh.
The restaurant group has appointed Deloitte to advise on the CVA.
Gavin Maher, a partner at Deloitte, said: "Drake & Morgan was a successful business prior to Covid-19 and this action will enable the business to emerge strongly from the pandemic."
It would be another high-profile closure for Spinningfields, which recently bid farewell to Spanish restaurant Iberica.
