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  05/19/2020

  Franklin restaurant announces it won't be reopening

  Franklin is the first high-profile Hobart restaurant to announce that it is permanently closing in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic. ABC News online describes Franklin as "one of the restaurants that helped build Tasmania's reputation as a foodie hotspot". While many locals dined in once or twice (usually on a special occasion), the venue relied almost completely on interstate and international visitors - a meal at Franklin, with a constantly changing menu of ever-surprising, (sometimes slightly ludicrous) locally sourced ingredients and a fabulous natural wine list was a must on the high-end MONA visitor circuit. I had the best glass of pinot noir I've ever tasted at Franklin. The general consensus is that the demise of one of Tasmania's most ambitious and well-known restaurants - perhaps the first major casualty of Hobart's food scene - is a portent of things to come. Covid19 will likely spell slow inexorable disaster for much of the hospitality industry here. With Tasmania's borders closed for now, it is an unfortunate reality that our most visionary and daring restaurateurs will likely be the hardest hit.