Actually, although the restaurant is for sale (what isn't here?) John is actively pursuing finding a chef. He just isn't finding much success. He does hope to reopen at some point, ideally for the season though that's looking unlikely. Tipi seems no longer to be a part of it, though the circumstances are rather strange. She enrolled in a full-time college course in England that doesn't end until next summer.
But the answer to the up-front question "why?" is ..... no-one knows, least of all John.