La Galleria opened on Ethel Street in Birmingham in 2014 and is the final restaurant operating in a corner building that was once a Masonic Hall and later the ABC New Street cinema. The restaurant is located just a short distance from Birmingham's New Street Station, one of the country's largest and busiest rail hubs. Despite earning thousands of positive reviews on platforms like Google and TripAdvisor, the surrounding neighborhood has been labeled the city's 'Zombie Quarter' due to its lack of vitality.
According to Daily Express - UK News, Erminio Shahmani described the area as having deteriorated from 'bad to worse' as businesses shut down and delivery cyclists gather in his doorway, with the owner also likening it to a 'dead area'. He has called on Birmingham City Council to do more to assist businesses in the zone. Colliers, the management company responsible for the building, declined to comment when approached about the vacant units.
My staff are from all over Italy and the chefs are too. It's a proper, authentic Italian restaurant. Everything is cooked here, you order and it's all cooked fresh, you can see. Every night I have three chefs, a pizza chef and a porter as well as my waiting team. It's a real authentic Italian restaurant.
The specific actions the council has taken or plans to take remain unclear. The reasons for other business closures in the area are also not confirmed. It is uncertain whether any other active businesses or initiatives exist nearby besides La Galleria.
Unfortunately the changes we've seen have been from bad to worse. It used to be a very vibrant road, we had no problems, nothing to worry about. And I'm sorry to say that. You can see now, all the shops are empty, I'm the only one standing and I'll be here as long as I can.
If you know you're going to be evicted from your house, you don't want to be in that house any more. But a house and a restaurant are two different things.
We're the forgotten one. This part of Birmingham should be the best part of Birmingham but it's the worst part.
We've got to remain positive. If you want to move forward you can't let any of those things affect your mindset, but the reality is that the empty shops speak for themselves.
Birmingham City Council should do a little bit more to help us in that respect.
In other areas, the shops are full but this area is like a warzone.