MANILA — After closing the doors of its well-loved University of the Philippines - Diliman restaurant in mid-2020, The Chocolate Kiss Cake Shop is permanently ceasing operations this month, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ina Flores Pahati, who owns the restaurant, announced the decision, and explained what led to it, through a Facebook post on Monday.

“The Chocolate Kiss cakes were born in a home kitchen. Baking and selling them started out as a hobby for its founders, which became a modest side-business come Christmas time.

“No one planned for this ‘side-line’ to build its own commissary, nor grow into a 23-year old café. How far it has come; how much we’ve experienced!

“Now the ride is almost over, and we’re counting down to our last day of selling cakes on June 22,” she wrote.

The Chocolate Kiss Café, which had been a popular hangout inside the UP Diliman campus for 23 years, closed permanently in August 2020 due to the pandemic.

• UP Diliman hangout Chocolate Kiss to close after 23 years

The management then resumed serving cakes for pickup at its commissary in Fairview, Quezon City — but that, too, proved to be unsustainable.

“The past year of navigating through the lockdowns was quite exciting, but sadly, not sustainable, which has prompted us to wind things down,” the statement said.

Items will remain for sale until June 22, it added, with limited-edition or seasonal “goodies” planned beyond but only “to finish up our ingredients.”

“In behalf of everyone who was part of The Chocolate Kiss family, we thank you for making us part of your celebrations, and your lives,” Pahati wrote.

“We’ve built so many good memories over the years, and we only want to leave you with happy thoughts.”