It had only been going a matter of days, having been 'excited' to open.
15:25, Sat, Jan 3, 2026 Updated: 15:31, Sat, Jan 3, 2026
The budget fast food chain Coast had not long been open (Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)
A budget fast food chain has decided to pull the plug on a new branch mere weeks after launching. Coast, which runs restaurants in Blackpool and Skegness, had announced ambitious plans for a fresh venture in the north Wales coastal resort of Rhyl last autumn.
The company was confident that its famous 99p burger would prove a hit with locals, but within days they'd thrown in the towel. They'd taken over the Corner Café, next door to Les Harkers Amusements on West Parade, flinging open their doors on Saturday, December 6.
The business takes pride in serving wallet-friendly food, with their most affordable burger costing just 99p, reports WalesOnline. A standard coffee and hotdog are also on offer for 99p apiece.
At the launch, they declared: "To say we're excited is an understatement."
However, just days later, word spread of the café's imminent shutdown, resulting in cancelled children's birthday celebrations. North Wales Live contacted the chain to ask about the sudden closure, which they blamed on a lack of punters, though many observers pointed out they'd opened during the resort's quiet winter period.
David McDonald, managing director of the chain, explained: "Unfortunately our Rhyl store didn't have the traction we expected and we had to make the difficult decision to close the store. Our focus now is on supporting our colleagues affected by this decision."
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Locals expressed divided opinions about the announcement. One person remarked: "I went last week with my daughter and the food was lovely as were the staff" whilst another chimed in: "Oh no, that's such a shame! Taken my little one in there a few times, the staff are lovely".
However, another resident offered a different perspective: "It was opened at the wrong time, honestly, we got messed about and it was silly."