Hearth ‘n Kettle Closing.

WEYMOUTH — Hearth ’n Kettle in Weymouth is the latest loss amid restaurants that have been forced to permanently close their doors due to the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant had been open for 23 years.

The owners, Catania Hospitality Group, sold the property to Weymouth restaurant owner Chris DiMambro, who plans to open his own restaurant, the Catanias said. The property, which is on Route 18 near Winter Street, sold for $1.8 million on July 30, according to the deed.

“It’s very sad for us to close our units,” Deb Catania said in an email to The Patriot Ledger. “Restaurants are struggling and, as our governor keeps making it difficult to do business for us, you will see more and more closing.”

The Catania group owns two other Hearth ’n Kettle restaurants, as well as inns and spas in Cape Cod. The Hyannis and South Yarmouth restaurant locations are still open.

Catania said it has been hard to hire staff and “compete” against unemployment benefits being offered by the state and federal government. Unemployed Massachusetts residents received $600 weekly for the first several months of the pandemic, but that ended in late July.

Summary:  To destroy the many small businesses around the country we are bribing workers to not go back to work with money we don’t have.