A popular seafood restaurant is still on the market, 17 years after it was initially listed.

The owner of Sankey’s Bar & Kitchen in Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, says the property has been up for sale since he bought it from his father in 2007.

It is listed with Fleurets for more than £1.5 million, but Matthew Sankey is waiting for the perfect offer.

Sankey’s, which is a prominent town centre pub and restaurant, has been operating since the early 1980s and is listed as the third best place for seafood in the area on TripAdvisor.

Another of Matthew’s businesses, The Old Fishmarket in the Pantiles, comes in second.

But despite its length of time on the market, Mr Sankey says no-one has come forward with an offer that has tempted him to give it up.

The 43-year-old, from Speldhurst, said: “We’ve had it on the market since the day I bought it, and we talk to people
about offers and we keep working out what it’s worth.

“It’s not a fire sale – it’s just me being pragmatic and ahead of the game to ensure I’m achieving the best value to my investment.”

According to the online listing, the three-storey building is believed to date from the 19th century and is for sale to “allow our client to concentrate on the other businesses”.

As well as The Old Fishmarket, Mr Sankey also owns Sankey’s Fishmongers.

The listing also states that turnover for the year ending March 31, 2022, was £863,437.

Although the property is up for sale, Matthew says “business is fantastic” and continues to be operating as usual, stating that no staff are at risk of losing their jobs.

The sale advert states the property will be “available as a going concern with all branding etc removed”.

However, Matthew told the Kent Messenger: “If someone wanted to buy the property and trade with Sankey’s name
that’s a conversation we’d have to have – I don’t know whether it’s optimum or not.

“There is no deal structure that’s been built because no-one has come forward with an offer that would even begin the process.”

The 44-year-old says people in the industry know the property is constantly on the market and that he receives one or two serious inquiries a year.

The current listing says: “Prominent town centre pub and restaurant with late licence.

“Highly regarded, independently operated business with self-contained owner’s/manager’s flat.”

Meanwhile, sister site, The Old Fishmarket, is a leasehold which rolls over consistently, and Matthew says he has “no plans to vacate that”.

Back in 2021 the seafood restaurant decided to close for Christmas to protect staff and customers from Covid-19.

As a result, the business decided to take an £80,000 loss by closing its doors.

Matthew said: “Both sites are seeing consistently improving financial results since Covid and this is down to the hard work of the entire team.”