Famous Soho restaurant L’Escargot will reopen on May 10 after a sudden closure in February.
Owner Brian Clivaz told the Standard the operating company, L’Escargot Greek Street Limited, had gone into administration and required a “restructure”, adding that the premises also needed refurbishment.
“We closed after seeking financial advice from various parties,” Clivaz said.
The restaurateur, who bought L’Escargot in 2014, said some staff were retained when the restaurant shut, but others were made redundant.
“Most employees are coming back,” he told the Standard. “Senior people were retained, and others have moved on.”
News of the reopening will prove welcome to diners, with little information about what was happening available to the public. News, some might say, has filtered through at a snail’s pace.
Clivaz said he was presently unable to say more due to “legal uncertainty”, but added all matters are now resolved and that the French restaurant would resume normal service next month.
He said: “The pandemic hit hard and it’s bit very stop-go, stop-go. It was a bit of a struggle, and it is across the industry.
“We have had some additional investment from friends - silent investors - and we’re pleased. I was never in doubt we would come through it. In the past couple of months, lots of people have contacted me airing their concerns. Some wrote malicious things - some wrote to me to tell me L’Escargot was their ‘favourite restaurant,’ which was odd because I hadn’t seen them dine there in years.
“But yes, it is very famous and very old, and these things just take time. In my next life, I think I’ll come back as a lawyer rather than a restaurateur because fees are phenomenal.
“Everything is amicably resolved now and we’re looking forward to reopening.”
L’Escargot has existed in its current iteration since 1927, though the restaurant, in some capacity, dates back to 1896. Over the years, its head chefs have included the likes of Marco Pierre White.
The venue will reopen - “quietly” - on May 10, with essential works to drains and electrics carried out in the interim.
