Famed chef Michel Roux Jr has said the Le Gavroche name “will never be for sale” having announced the iconic restaurant’s closure last month.
“It’s a closure of 43 Upper Brook Street, but I am carrying on the brand and the business,” Roux Jr told delegates at the Annual Hotel Conference (AHC) in Manchester today (12 September).
“The name Le Gavroche is owned by myself, and it will never be for sale. It belongs to me, it’s a part of my life... I’m going to continue but Le Gavroche is in charge of my life, and I want that to turn around.”
Posting on Instagram last month, the chef-patron of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant said Le Gavroche would continue through pop-ups "and other ventures" through the Chez Roux catering business, but that he needed a better work-life balance to spend more time with his family and on other business ventures.
Roux Jr took over the running of the restaurant in 1991. The restaurant will close in January 2024, having been opened by his father Albert Roux and uncle Michel Roux Sr in 1967.
“They would be 100 per cent behind it, I’m absolutely sure about that,” said Roux Jr. “I had many discussions with my father about that. The most important thing is to make sure that everybody who works for us will be well looked after, and they will be, none more so than our kitchen porter who has been with us 34 years.”
He said he discussed the possibility of his daughter Emily and son-in-law Diego Ferrari, who run Notting Hill restaurant Caractère, taking over the business, but “they want to do their own thing and I fully understand that and am fully behind it”.
Offering his experience of operating such a long-standing restaurant, he said a successful restaurant and business must “stay true to its roots”. He said that guests who dined at Le Gavroche 30-50 years ago would still recognise the menu and wines and dishes, although the restaurant and its menu have evolved.
“You have to evolve and stay fresh in your idea to attract a new customer base, and that is key. That is the reason why Le Gavroche has been around for so long,” he said.
“We’ve been through many ups and downs of business and turmoil... but we’ve always managed to get out of it and survive. The key to survival is being nimble, fast and being able to adapt quickly.”
During his career, Roux Jr has also experienced the hotel restaurant sector, having operated Roux at the Landau at the Langham London hotel, a restaurant that has also closed after nearly 13 years, and restaurants in Scottish hotels including at Crossbasket Castle near Glasgow and Inverlochy Castle in Fort William.
“It isn’t always an easy ride, but I do believe that a hotel restaurant can be successful with a brought-in chef or brought-in theme or a ‘celebrity chef’,” said Roux Jr.
He that while there are many ways of going about it, either on a consultancy basis, the chef contributing some investment, or some kind of lease: “The most important thing is that both parties are happy, and it works for both parties.”
He suggested that honest and open dialogue between the chef and hotel was critical to success such as that of his ongoing relationship with the Langham: “We have regular meetings, one to ones, we talk through any issues, anything that may seem trivial, and you’ve hit that on the head before it’s a problem, and that’s key. If you can speak to the boss directly as opposed to going through the long route, I think it’s so much better.”
While he said that every hotel F&B outlet should be able to make a return, “it’s getting nigh on impossible the way food inflation is going”.
“You need a product that’s going to bring people in, but once they’re in, you need them to be spending, and it’s not an easy nut to crack. You have to be very nimble,” he said. “Hotel restaurants have to think like small, independent restaurants on the high street. If it ain’t working, change it quickly.”
His advice to hotels was to engage with the community: “You need to get your locals in and very often that’s neglected in hotels... work with the community, give back to the community and they will give to you.”
As for what the industry will look like in 10 years’ time, Roux Jr was of the opinion the sector will be “in a much stronger place than we are now”.
“I think there’s still a couple of years of really rough business for all of us. Food inflation is not about to go down, sadly. I think the employment market will get better, but it’ll take a lot of time and effort on our behalf.”
He added: “We really need to all work together in the hospitality industry to encourage the next generation to come in... we have to make it look fun to work in the hospitality industry.”