Shut down since last Thursday, Serpentine Road restaurant, Once Upon A Table, is the latest in a series of restaurant closures. This time seven jobs have been lost.

The victim of an ailing tourism industry, the restaurant's operator, Llewellyn Harvey, predicted that more restaurants can be expected to fail.

Romanoff on Church Street ceased operating recently. Loyalty Inn, a virtual landmark in the west end, has been closed since Cup Match.

Loyalty Inn was operated by Carlton R.N. Ltd., whose manager, Rudy Dowling, said the company does not even have the funds to apply to the Liquor Licence Authority for a hearing to apply to close.

Mr. Dowling, one of the owners, said: "I have tried my best to keep the business going and I wish to thank all the loyal clients, but I found that without more clients and the necessary funds, it was a hopeless task.

"It is unfortunate that the company, having spent so much money over the past years to provide a first class establishment, has to close down, but circumstances are such that I cannot keep working for the company and not receive any wages to provide for my family.'' He added: "Nearly all employees have been able to find alternate employment and it is now up to the creditors to proceed with the sale of the business or the liquidation of the company.'' Meanwhile, after being open for 15 years, Mr. Harvey, a key member of the ownership team of Once Upon A Table, blames the spotty tourism performance for the restaurant's failure.

He said: "On advice from our lawyers we have closed. Once Upon A Table has seen a downturn in business for the last two years particularly. "It was difficult to close, but with a shrinking tourism market for Bermuda, we could no longer operate on promises each year that things would improve. Ninety percent of our business was comprised of visitors to the Island. It didn't happen and that was the reason for the advice to close.'' Mr. Harvey, who has been in the hospitality business for 34 years, believes that there are other struggling restaurants. He said that at present, he had no plans for the future.

But he added: "I can assure you it won't be the restaurant business.'' Once Upon A Table had garnered rave reviews from Bermudians and visitors for a delightful and quality cuisine, developed by Mr. Harvey as head chef.

But it also was chosen to be featured on "A Taste For Travel'', the cable television show on the Travel Channel, hosted by popular Burt Wolf, underscoring its international appeal.

One part of the restaurant, "The Buttery'' for take-out orders, was very popular in its lunch trade for locals, but as part of the restaurant, it was also closed.

Mr. Harvey said: "We need more visitors. We need people. What the restaurant business, the hotel business, the retail business needs in this Island is people, more tourism. We haven't been getting the number of visitors over the last ten years that we need to make business viable.

"There are probably a lot of other restaurants out there that are in the same position that Once Upon A Table was in.

"As Robert Stewart (author and chief executive of the Royal Dutch /Shell Group of Companies in Bermuda) said, we probably need to privatise the Tourism Department and make everybody accountable. It does seem that some people in some government positions aren't accountable.

"Just like when a business is not doing well, there is generally streamlining and other changes.

"We needed to accept a long time ago that the bottom was dropping out of tourism, for us to address it. Then we have problems with crime in Bermuda, which doesn't help, because of word of mouth. One visitor tells their family and a few others about Bermuda's problems and they tell others.

"I can't advise anyone to go into the restaurant business right now.'' Once Upon A Table is owned by Mr. Harvey, his wife and Wendell Simons, and the Serpentine Road premises, formerly an old Bermuda Home, is also owned by the Harveys. No decision has been taken on its future.

`I can't advise anyone to go into the restaurant business right now.' -- Llewellyn Harvey Llewellyn Harvey