Michel Roux Jr to close Le Gavroche in January 2024
Michel Roux Jr is to close his family's Le Gavroche restaurant in London in January 2024, 56 years after it first opened.
The 63-year-old chef said he was looking for a better work-life balance without the pressure of running a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.
Roux added that Le Gavroche was still fully booked but the upcoming end of its lease gave him a chance to reassess its future.
"The pressure to be able to deliver the high quality that everyone expects is wearing when it's every day, and every plate," he said.
"The closure of Le Gavroche at this site is about turning the page and moving forward so I can focus on my family as well our other businesses."
Originally opened on Chelsea's Lower Sloane Street in 1967 by Roux's father Albert and uncle Michel, Le Gavroche featured in the inaugural Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland in 1974. It moved to its current site on Upper Brook Street, Mayfair, in 1981 and was the first UK restaurant to win three Michelin stars in 1982.
The restaurant became a London institution for its classically rich French haute cuisine and has seen chefs including Monica Galetti, Gordon Ramsay, Pierre Koffmann, and Marco Pierre White work in its kitchens. Roux took over running the restaurant in 1991.
Writing on Le Gavroche's website, Roux said: "I know this will come as a shock to many of you, so please know this decision has not been made lightly. Le Gavroche means so much, not just to myself and the Roux family, but to the wider Gavroche team and you, our guests, who have become our family over so many years.
"I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high. Le Gavroche has, and continues to be, fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures."
Le Gavroche's staff will all go through redundancy consultations over the next few weeks. An announcement on behalf of the restaurant said those who did not qualify for redundancy would still be supported financially.
The Le Gavroche brand and the limited company will be retained by the Roux family and used for special events and pop-ups, private and public, in different locations, potentially around the world.
"I am pleased to have made this decision and excited to take Le Gavroche on the road, to be a master of Le Gavroche rather than it being my master," said Roux.
The chef will continue to work on his other ventures, including catering company Chez Roux; heading up food and beverage operations at the Langham, London; working with the ICMI Hotel Group operating the Roux restaurants in Scotland; and consulting for Compass Group and catering at major sporting events.
Roux's daughter Emily and son-in-law Diego Ferrari will continue to operate their Notting Hill restaurant Caractère, and he will cook there for special events.
Le Gavroche will host a series of public dinners celebrating the restaurant from November until its closure in January, with family members and familiar faces who worked at the venue set to make an appearance.
A dedication page has been created on Le Gavroche's website where guests can share memories and photos of their time spent in the restaurant and further details of the events will be announced soon.
Roux said: "I look forward to reading and sharing in your fond memories, and I especially look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible over the next few months. Let's go out with a bang."
