Pasture’s Ed Verner on closing his restaurant after seven years, customer refunds

Ed Verner, owner of Parnell restaurant Pasture. Photo / Josh Griggs

Auckland chef Ed Verner says the decision to suddenly close his award-winning restaurant has not “sunk in” and he plans to refund outstanding deposits, gift vouchers and event tickets to customers.

“I love the hospitality industry more than anything, but it has always been an historically challenging industry,” Verner said in a statement to the Herald.

He revealed on Saturday night in a social media post that his restaurant Pasture - a high-end establishment in Parnell with just seven seats - would abruptly close after seven years in business due to “personal reasons” and that his partner was receiving specialist treatment for a health issue.

He told the Herald today that the sector had never fully recovered from Covid-19 and these challenges were compounded by personal commitments.

“Being a chef-owner can often be an impossible job and to be successful you have to give it your absolute all.

“This becomes even more challenging when, unexpectedly, health and your family life demand that you focus at the same time as your business.”

Pasture owner and chef Ed Verner. Photo / Josh Griggs

Pasture requires customers to pay deposits for their reservations and offers event tickets and gift vouchers. Verner said Pasture intends to refund these. The “many refunds and email queries” to go through were being “processed as quickly as possible”.

“As we have used a third-party bookings site to hold deposits for bookings, guests should anticipate that this may take time to show up in their account,” he said.

“We appreciate all our guests’ patience and understanding.”

Pasture is a small, seven-seat degustation restaurant, with guests seated at a counter facing the kitchen. Tasting menus generally cost between $320-$375 per person, depending on the ingredients and menu length. Drinks are additional.

One Auckland resident who had spent $1000 on tickets for a themed dinner next month with their partner to celebrate their wedding said they found out about Pasture’s closure through the media and would have appreciated more proactive communication.

“I think I’m just concerned; it was a lot of money. I just feel quite uneasy about it.”

After leaving a comment on Pasture’s social media page, the restaurant sent them a message saying “don’t worry as we have you covered” and they would be in touch.

In the hours after Pasture announced its closure on Instagram, comments mourning the loss of the establishment from the Auckland hospitality scene flooded in.

“Absolutely devastated,” one person wrote.

“Some of the best food I’ve ever had,” another said.

Verner said he was “touched by the outpouring of kindness, warmth, and support” and the restaurant had given him “the hardest and happiest” times of his life.

“It has made me into the chef and partner I am today. I’m already missing my staff and being able to wake up each day to work with my team.”

He said he looked forward to returning to the industry he loved, “made up of such wonderful and talented people.”

Pasture has won big awards since opening in 2016, including Metro Restaurant of the Year in 2019, and received rave reviews. In 2016, Jesse Mulligan visited the Nordic-style restaurant for the Herald’s Viva magazine and labelled it “world class”, giving it a perfect rating.

But in 2021, an article by Metro canvassed the experiences of nine former Pasture employees, detailing accounts of being underpaid or working 16-hour days, describing a toxic work environment and a lack of transparency around tips.

Verner largely disputed the accounts, and at one point in the article, said he had sought to improve the intense working culture and long hours at Pasture as he’s “grown and matured”.