THE UK's oldest Indian restaurant, visited by Princess Anne and the King of Jordan, faces closure after 99 years.
A spat between the owners and the King's property company has forced the beloved venue to potentially shutter.
Veeraswamy on Regent Street, London, has been serving Indian dishes since 1926 but its lease is expiring in June.
The swanky building where the restaurant is located will not be renewing the lease for MW Eat, which owns a handful of Indian .
A blindsided Ranjit Mathrani, 81, co-owner of MW Eat, said the “came out of the blue.”
He told The Times: “I think they’ve come to the view that it’s too tiresome having a restaurant there, they want it to be all offices.
“They don’t care a bugger for – had they wanted to, they could’ve easily ...put the [office] reception on the first floor. If they’d have asked us to match the [office] rent, I would have.
“The effect of what they’re doing would be to effectively destroy a major London institution.”;
The Crown Estate has demanded the space in order to finish a 12-month renovation.
After 99 years of service in London, the iconic restaurant will be turned into offices.
Despite having a star and serving a slew of VIPs including , Lord and even King Abdullah of Jordan, the UK's oldest industry restuarant may not make the century mark.
Due to the ongoing conflict between the owners and the Crown Estate, Mathrani hasn't had the time to find a new site before Veeraswamy's lease runs out.
He's now desperately trying to extend the current lease and has even taken the Crown Estate to over it.
Now Mathrani faces loss of and potential redundancies – he said if the landlords were being responsible the restaurant would have been given two years to relocate
Loyal customers have flooded the restaurant with glowing reviews and are likely gutted to see the venue disappear.
One wrote: “The most amazing Indian food I've ever had! You could literally taste every spice.
Another joked: “Wow…very expensive…and worth every penny.”
A third said: “The whole experience was a delight and without exaggeration I can vouch that it is the best restaurant meal I have ever tasted.”
A spokeswoman for the Crown Estate said: “We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House.
“This includes a major upgrade to the offices and improving the entrance to make it more accessible.
“Due to the limited options available in this listed building we need to remove the entrance to the restaurant, which means we will not be able to offer Veeraswamy an extension when their lease expires.”;
The hospitality industry is facing mounting pressures, including soaring bills, rising costs, and squeezed budgets.
More closures could be on the horizon due to upcoming hikes in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the national minimum wage.
Manybusinesses have faced significant challenges recently, as the risinghas led to a decline in dining out.
After 24 years, the original Hakkasan on Hanway Place in London “bid farewell with its final service” last month.
La Dame de Picearlier this month.
in‘sshut its doors in February after serving guests for less than two years.
And Scottish celebrity chefhisrestaurant Kora in January.
