Costs burden shuts ‘La Bras’ after 45 years
LA Brasserie, the South Kensington institution that boasts a host of celebrity fans, has closed after 45 years owing to “insurmountable” cost hikes.
Owner Peter Godwin said in a Facebook post that the 272 Brompton Road restaurant, affectionately known as La Bras, had gone due to increases in overheads and operating costs.
Godwin, who started his career at the Savoy before growing La Brasserie into a popular venue that counted TV stars Joan Collins and Nigel Havers as fans, said: “We have exhausted all possible options to remain in operation.”
It is understood the closure followed a hike in the rent of the property. The Wellcome Trust is listed as the freeholder on the
Land Registry.
Rates expert Gerald Eve’s Jerry Schurder pointed out that business rates would not have helped La Brasserie either. Its bill was poised to rise 13.8% this year.
“Fears will mount for the many restaurants across London seeing even larger surges in their bills,” Schurder added.
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