The owner of a newly opened Oldham restaurant has announced a temporary closure after just one day of operation due to overwhelming demand. Ruger Fjord, located on Hartshead Street in Lees, opened its doors on Sunday, June 7, offering a menu of Michelin-style focaccia sandwiches that blend Scandinavian simplicity with Italian craftsmanship.
Unprecedented Demand Leads to Sellout
The restaurant, which also serves in-house misos, small plates, and cocktails, was met with queues stretching out the door. Within 90 minutes, the establishment had sold out of its freshly baked focaccia bread, forcing staff to bake more during the busy service. Owner Kieran O'Reilly, a former chef at Gaucho and MANA, expressed gratitude for the support but acknowledged the challenges.
In a social media post, O'Reilly wrote: "The support over the last few weeks has been overwhelming, and today was everything we hoped it could be. This is only day one." However, a follow-up post revealed the difficult decision to close temporarily to invest in more ingredients, equipment, and to meet with investors to ensure sustainability.
Owner's Statement on Closure
O'Reilly explained: "WE NEED TO CLOSE. RUGER FJORD. Day 1. Sellout within 1 hour and 30 mins. This isn't sustainable, we don't want to let anyone down. We're closing, we're having meetings with the investors. More stand mixers, more dough, more bread, more sandwiches. We apologise for any inconvenience, but we do not want to drop in quality or turn anyone away."
In a video accompanying the post, he elaborated: "We're going to speak to our investors about scaling the team, scaling the dough so that we can never run out, so everybody can eat the sandwiches and experience us at Fjord, make sure that our customer service is perfect so that we're not rushing around and nobody's getting sent away."
Planned Reopening and Customer Support
The closure is expected to last a minimum of three days, with O'Reilly assuring customers that the break will allow the team to elevate the concept. "Three days is all we ask for - nobody is going to be disappointed because it's going to be even better by the time we're back," he said. He emphasised the importance of maintaining quality and avoiding burnout, noting that the team has been working until 5 a.m.
The announcement was met with understanding and encouragement from the community. A fellow business owner commented: "Congratulations on a great first day. Hats off to you for taking this decision. In our game, customer service is priority." Another supporter wrote: "Such a mature decision, you clearly have something special, don't rush, take your time."
Vision Behind Ruger Fjord
Last month, O'Reilly shared his vision for the restaurant with the M.E.N., emphasising his desire to bring "happy foods" to the Oldham community. He stated: "Lees is a really lovely place, there's some really amazing local and independent businesses here and there's a great community vibe. Hospitality is facing a difficult time at the moment, but I think people do connect best when they can see that someone puts a real passion into what they are doing."
He added: "I'm not doing this to make loads of money - as long as we can pay ourselves and our staff a wage and keep the lights on, then that's all we need. It's not a chain, it's not a big name, but it is something that I am opening in my home and it's hopefully going to be something really special that people feel connected to and enjoy."
Ruger Fjord is located at The Greaves Building, Hartshead Street, Lees, Oldham, OL4 5EE. Updates on the reopening will be shared via Instagram.
