Campaigners have taken a petition to Buckingham Palace to call on King Charles for stopping the closure of the UK’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant, BBC reported. Michelin star restaurant ‘Veeraswamy’ was founded in 1926. It has remained in its original home at Victory House on Regent Street since it opened, also continuing to serve food through wartime.
The petition, which had gathered over 20,000 signatures, called on the King to “protect a historic institution” and preserve what supporters describe as a “symbol of Indo-British cultural connections”. Celebrity chefs Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux, and Richard Corrigan are among those who have signed it.
Restaurant co-owner Ranjit Mathrani also told BBC that not renewing the restaurant’s lease was “short-sighted”.
‘Not a decision we’ve taken lightly’
The Crown Estate said removing the restaurant from its current premises is “not a decision we’ve taken lightly”. The Crown Estate is an independent property company, whose profits go to the Treasury.
Mathrani said he felt “100 years of history is being relegated to the dustbin”. “The Crown Estate are like a brick wall covered with polystyrene politeness,” he said.
His wife, and restaurant co-owner, Namita Panjabi, said, “Veeraswamy have catered twice at Buckingham Palace for the late queen.
“The first time was in 2009 when president of India visited, secondly in 2017 when India celebrated her 70th year of independence. It is astonishing that we are being asked to close after all of this. Along with Hamleys and Liberty, we are the oldest tenants on Regent Street,” she said.
What is Veeraswamy’s dispute with the Crown Estate?
Veeraswamy’s dispute with the Crown Estate started after the landlord announced plans to modernise the Grade II-listed building. Planning documents showed changes to the current entrance which would make the restaurant inaccessible, according to BBC.
“We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House to both bring it up to modern standards, and into full use,” a spokesperson for The Crown Estate said.
The spokesperson said the business was offered help to find new West End premises plus financial compensation.
“The Crown Estate has a statutory responsibility to manage its land and property to create long term value for the UK and return its profit to the UK Government for public spending,” they added.