Prominent chef Alex Bond has revealed that his Nottingham fried chicken venture will shut down, calling the choice incredibly difficult. Mollis, which built its reputation for unconventional fried chicken, a hip hop-themed environment, and soft-serve desserts, opened in late 2022 under Bond’s direction. Bond, who also manages the acclaimed Alchemilla establishment, shared the news via social media on Friday (April 24), announcing that the Derby Road site would stop trading after its last service on May 16. In the Facebook post, he described this as one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. He wrote that Mollis had been more than just a project, that it had been a space to create some insane flavours, to push ideas, and to build something with real personality. He expressed pride in the amazing team and all the time and effort they had put in. He noted that from the food to the energy, it had always come from a genuine place, and that was something he would always be proud of. The restaurant launched after a £100,000 crowdfunding effort, with pledging customers promised the best-fried chicken they would ever have. Menu offerings included Gochujang buffalo and blue cheese, pineapple or Chimochurri with fresh herbs, charcoal butter with quince chutney or sea buckthorn nahm jim, and fermented cabbage. The establishment also became known for inventive cocktails featuring ingredients such as eucalyptus, pear and woodruff with liquorice, or tomato, lovage, strawberry with chamomile and elderberry, juniper, beetroot and black rose. The venue interior showcased local hip hop-inspired street art and collaborated with the neighbouring Saltbox venue near the Motorpoint Arena for a three-month summer 2024 kitchen takeover. In his post, Bond encouraged diners to return to Mollis one final time before the May 16 closure. He thanked everyone who had come down, supported them, shared a meal, or sunk a cocktail, saying their support meant the world. He added that they would love to see as many people as possible before they close the doors and that they wanted to give it the send-off it deserves.