Bouchêe, the popular French bistro in Pembroke, is to close its doors for good on September 10.

The restaurant, located in the Outerbridge Building at 75 Pitts Bay Road, has long been a mainstay of Bermuda’s hospitality sector, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to a varied local and tourist clientele.

Bouchêe is also popular with customers of Sargasso Sea and Five Star Home Delivery.

However, owner Sara Masters was told by the building’s owners last December that she would be required to vacate the premises as they pondered the property’s future.

She was given until the end of September.

Ms Masters has been unable to find a new location for the eatery, despite enlisting the help of an agent to find space in Hamilton or Pembroke.

She said: “We looked at a few things, but they weren’t viable, so we decided not to move forward.”

Next January would have marked the start of Ms Masters’s 13th year as the owner of Bouchêe.

She said: “It’s the end of a chapter. I’m thankful for the business I’ve had, and I’m thankful for my wonderful customers.

“Without my customers and my staff, I wouldn’t have prospered. My staff have been with me since Day 1.”

Ms Masters said customers were supportive after news broke in March that she had to find new premises.

“Customers have asked ‘have you tried this place, have you tried that place’? They’ve been searching with us, offering different places.”

The closure will put ten staff, including seven full-time employees, out of work.

Ms Masters said: “They have been very supportive. They have all circled around me and protected me like they protect the restaurant.

“They have been looking and interviewing [for alternative employment]. Hopefully, they all find something.

“I have always been very open about the business with them. They know all the ins and outs.”

Ms Masters said her future plans are unsure.

“I’m going to take a little breather and decide what to do next.”

She is a 38-year veteran of the sector, having previously owned or worked at The Flying Chef catering business, the restaurant at Riddell’s Bay Golf and Country Club, and The White Horse restaurant in St George.

Ms Masters is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Bouchêe will close at 2.30pm on its last day of operation, which is a Sunday.