The boss of Veeraswamy, the UK's first curry house, has claimed the Crown Estate does not value Indian food as highly as European cuisine as the restaurant fights eviction from its London home of 100 years.
Ranjit Mathrani, 83, said the body that manages the King's property on behalf of the Treasury was trying to close the Regent Street restaurant, which has operated since 1926. He accused the Crown Estate of not rating his food as much as dishes from celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux, despite chicken tikka masala being widely hailed as Britain's national dish.
Historic restaurant faces court battle
The dispute will go to court on November 4 as the restaurant battles to stay open. A campaign backed by 20,000 diners, history enthusiasts and celebrity chefs from around the world has been launched to save it.
Veeraswamy introduced curry to Britain and counted Mahatma Gandhi among its first customers. His great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, head of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation in India, is among those supporting the campaign. The restaurant continued serving Londoners during the Blitz, and its celebrity fans have included Sir Winston Churchill and actor Marlon Brando.
Tradition of beer and curry
The restaurant is also credited with starting the British tradition of pairing curry with lager. Prince Axel of Denmark enjoyed Carlsberg there in the 1920s, beginning a century-long custom.
In February, it was reported the Crown Estate wanted to convert the building into offices to maximise revenue for the Government. A petition has been presented to King Charles III, but the monarch has no control over the Crown's £16bn property portfolio.
Accusations of unfair treatment
Mathrani, who chairs Veeraswamy's parent company MW Eat, claimed the restaurant had been treated unfairly because it serves Indian rather than European food.
“Perhaps they didn't actually pay much regard to Indian food being very important in their lexicon of gastronomy,” he said. “French and European cuisine are somehow regarded as being at a different level from, say, Indian or Japanese or other cuisines of the world. Had it been Gordon Ramsay or Michel Roux that would be different.”
He said the row had emerged during the hospitality industry's toughest period in decades, with restaurants facing falling demand, rising costs and escalating tax bills. “This is the worst economic environment we have experienced in 36 years, apart from Covid,” said the former investment banker. “Hospitality is on its knees. This is a great living restaurant. It's very successful attracting tourists. They will wipe it out. It is the heart of London. It gives you a great sense of history, of place.”
Offers rejected
The Crown Estate has said a major refurbishment of the site is needed after a 2023 flood damaged upper floors. It plans to use Veeraswamy's space for a large office reception and insists the restaurant would not be able to return.
Mathrani said all his attempts to find a compromise had been rejected, including an offer to buy the building outright, match the rent the Estate would receive from office tenants, and take over renovation work. He also offered to redesign the restaurant to create a shared reception area, but said he was met with a 'polite brick wall'.
A spokesman for the Crown Estate said: “We understand how disappointing this is for MW Eat and have offered help to find new premises on our portfolio so that the restaurant can stay in the West End as well as 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. This is not a decision we've taken lightly. With external advice, we have reviewed alternative proposals including those put forward by MW Eat, and unfortunately there isn't an alternate scheme which meets our responsibilities as stewards of this heritage listed building, our legal obligations and our responsibilities to manage public money.”
