Aston Villa has pledged to keep up the good work despite run by young, previously unemployed, people.
The Post revealed yesterday that – presently Birmingham’s seventh most popular on Tripadvisor – would close its doors for the last time on July 19.
Its loss has been lamented on social media, but a spokesperson for the club said it would continue to perform a strong community role, and there will be no job losses.
She said: “This has been a five-year project and the club has achieved its goals but now we will be inviting people into our core matchday and events instead.
“People who worked on VMF will be working on matchdays or events – there will be no redundancies.
“The space where VMF was will go back to being used for hospitality and other events.
“And nothing changes with the allotment – we will continue to use it for the food we serve on match days.”
- was established in October 2010 as a training restaurant, offering a way into the hospitality sector for young people living within a ten-mile radius of the stadium who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS).
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It is largely run by apprentices from under-privileged backgrounds who both prepare and serve the food.
It is presently rated the seventh place in Birmingham on Tripadvisor with 265 out of 324 reviews handing out five stars.