Madam Woo closes in Christchurch

Madam Woo Christchurch. Photo: findchch.com
Madam Woo Christchurch. Photo: findchch.com
Christchurch restaurant Madam Woo, co-founded by celebrity chef and MasterChef NZ judge Josh Emmett, will shut permanently as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Eight staff are set to lose their jobs due to the closure at the St Asaph St restaurant, known for serving Malaysian-inspired cuisine.

Madam Woo is owned by Go To Collection. Its chief executive and co-founder Fleur Caulton said the Christchurch restaurant had been struggling prior to the virus hitting New Zealand shores.

Because of previous challenges, the Covid-19 crisis was the final blow to the business and it was a "difficult" decision to close its doors for good.

In January, Madam Woo in Christchurch was also at the centre of a Hepatitis A scare, in which more than 100 patrons were vaccinated after a chef with the disease prepared food at the restaurant.

A Madam Woo restaurant in Dunedin closed in January last year – just three years after it opened.