Another Grantham business under threat

Flavio of Seafood & Grill Restaurant says…

I am typing this with tears in my eyes.

This has taken me three months to finally write, and even now I still do not know if I have the right words.

First of all, I want to thank all our beloved customers from the bottom of my heart for all your support since the day we first opened our doors. Every visit, every kind word, every review, every recommendation, every person who chose to support us means more to me than I can ever explain.

Tinel was first born in October 2019 as a café, managed by my mother. When COVID came, we decided to change it from a café into a traditional Portuguese seafood restaurant, bringing the flavours of Algarve and Alentejo to Lincolnshire. I was born in Olhão, Algarve, and that is where the heart of our food came from.

We wanted Tinel to be a beacon in Lincolnshire for the best seafood, and because of all of you, we achieved more than we ever imagined. We have won various awards nationally, including the Good Food Awards for 4 years in a row since 2022. We have also been recognised on TripAdvisor and other platforms. Our feedback has always been mostly 5 stars, and we are currently sitting at around 4.8 stars across Google, TripAdvisor and Facebook. So many people have raved about our food, and that is something I will carry with me forever.

During COVID, my mother lost her husband to the virus. Since then, her motivation and health dropped considerably. She was ready to give up on her dream of cooking amazing food from Portugal and sharing her skills with the British public. At that time I was working full time, but I could not accept seeing her give up on her dream, so I offered to take over and continue what she had started.

The truth is, when I took over, I could not cook for anyone, especially not in a professional environment. But I tried.

In the first couple of months, I cooked with my mother helping me through WhatsApp video calls. She would tell me what to do step by step. “Now put this in. Let me have a look. Now taste it.” It was hard. It was stressful. It was emotional. But I kept going. I am a quick learner, and eventually I started to put my own essence into the food, my own way of cooking, my own ideas, and my own touch.

Somewhere along the way, I found a love for cooking that I never knew I had.

That is why this decision has broken my heart.

For the last two years, I have put so much into keeping this business going because I truly believe in what I do. I believe in our food. I believe in what Tinel stands for. I believe in the experience we gave people. But unfortunately, running a seafood restaurant in Grantham has been one of the hardest things to maintain. I do not regret it, because I am proud of what we built, but the reality is that seafood ingredients are expensive, costs are high, and no matter how much passion, energy and money I kept putting into it, it has become harder and harder to keep going.

My idea was to put Grantham on the map for proper seafood, and I truly believe I have done that. I have had so many customers coming from as far as 2.5 hours away just to try and enjoy what real seafood should be. No one has ever left disappointed. People have loved everything we do here, from the quality and taste of the food, to the service, and even the prices compared to other seafood places.

But the truth is, there have also been things that hurt the business deeply.

I was burgled a couple of years ago and suffered losses of over £5,000 in damages and stock. Someone was caught, but I was awarded only £400 by the court, repaid monthly at under £10 a month.

Last year, I also had a group of 9 people come in to eat, abuse, threaten and attack me, and then walk away with a bill of £758. The police did not care, and I felt completely alone.

For years now, I have been working over 70 hours a week and not taking wages, simply because I believed in Tinel and wanted to keep it alive.

But now I have to be honest with myself.

So, with a very heavy heart, Tinel Seafood & Grill Restaurant will officially be closing its doors in September 2026, unless a buyer comes forward before then and wishes to take over.

For anyone who has been dreaming of owning their own business, this could be a real opportunity. The business is now open for serious offers, including all of its contents, making it a turnkey opportunity for the right person.

Even writing these words does not feel real.

I still do not know what my next challenge will be, and I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that one day Tinel will no longer exist. This place has meant so much to me. It is not just a business. It is part of my family’s story, part of my mother’s dream, and a huge part of my life.

All I know is that I will be forever grateful to every single person who has supported us, believed in us, travelled to us, recommended us, left us beautiful reviews, and shared in this journey.

Thank you for everything. Truly.

With love and gratitude,

Flavio

Tinel Seafood & Grill Restaurant