A Caribbean restaurant has closed a new branch after just four weeks as bosses say rising costs are making it too difficult for small businesses to survive.

Street Kings Smoke Shack, which previously had a unit at Coachworks in Ashford, moved into a new dine-in restaurant in the Low Key Taproom in Bank Street in November.

It became business owners Tony and Makalla De Sousa's second dine-in restaurant after opening a site in Whitstable last February.

But despite throwing their all at the project, the husband-and-wife team decided to call it a day as the current cost of living crisis, coupled with a lack of footfall, have made it too difficult to carry on.

Mr De Sousa, 42, said: "The opportunity was there so we decided to sell what we had at Coachworks [at Dover Place] and reinvest the money into the Taproom.

"We opened a couple of months ago and we just weren't getting the footfall. We were toying with the menu and opening times, but getting staff was also difficult and it became a difficult situation to manage.

"With rising costs of produce, going between the two sites in Whitstable and Ashford, we were too stretched.

"We didn't have the footfall we required to make enough revenue and I just didn't want it impeding on the survival of Whitstable.

"We decided to cut it at the legs before it rolled into something not manageable.

"We are finding that even though we have come through Covid, with cost increases, people trying to manage their funds, it makes it difficult for businesses like ours which are trying to offer something a little bit different to Wetherspoon and McDonald's.

"Businesses that are established, they tend to find a path through.

"But for any new business it is really quite difficult at the moment."

The business left the high street in the first week of December, a decision Mr De Sousa described as "soul destroying".

"We felt we had a good following in Ashford from the work we did through Covid, but we just didn't have the customer base - it had dissipated," he added.

"We have customers who say they would love to dine with us more, but they just can't afford to - living costs are so much."

Despite the setback, Street Kings Smoke Shack in Oxford Street, Whitstable, is gearing up to reopen on January 26 after a short break for the New Year.

Mr and Mrs De Sousa are looking at ways to adapt the menu and reduce costs so customers can still enjoy the BBQ and Caribbean flavours they are known for.

Meanwhile, Low Key Taproom has now started serving a new in-house menu centred around Japanese dishes where diners can build their own bowls with ramen, donburi, and yaki udon.

Drew Harris, who runs the site, said: "Street Kings came in and decided it wasn’t for them which is a real shame.

"We now have this new menu which has been going for two or three weeks now and the reviews have been really positive."

Before Christmas, Bank Street Cafe, which sits opposite Low Key Taproom, closed after just nine months.

Bosses said the cost-of-living crisis had made it impossible to carry on.