Ranjit Mathrani says Crown Estate is trying to shut his Veeraswamy restaurant because it does not rate Indian grub as highly as French or other European cuisine
The boss of the birthplace of British beer ‘n’ curry has claimed the King’s property manager does not value Indian food as much as Gordon Ramsay’s.
Ranjit Mathrani said the Crown Estate was trying to evict his Veeraswamy restaurant from the London premises it has occupied for 100 years since becoming the UK’s first curry house. He accused the body – which manages the King’s property and land on behalf of the Treasury – of not rating his grub as much as European nosh churned out by the likes of Ramsay and fellow celebrity chef Michel Roux.
That is despite chicken tikka masala being widely hailed Britain’s national dish. Ranjit, 83, claimed the Crown Estate did not view Indian food as ‘very important in their lexicon of gastronomy’.
The argy-bhaji will go to court on November 4 as the Regent Street restaurant battles to stay open.
Your favourite newspaper has united with 20,000 diners, history buffs and many celebrity chefs from around the world in a campaign to keep it currying on.
The restaurant introduced the nation’s No1 favourite food to Blighty and boasted Mahatma Gandhi as one of its first customers.
His great-grandson Tushar, head of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation in India, is among those battling to save it.
It carried on dishing up grub to Londoners as bombs dropped in the Blitz and celebrity fans included Sir Winston Churchill and The Godfather actor Marlon Brando.
Most importantly it started the Brit tradition of washing down a curry with lager.
Prince Axel of Denmark liked to drink Carlsberg at the restaurant in the 1920s – triggering a century-long trait.
We told in February how it was under threat because the Crown wants to convert the building into offices to maximise revenue for the Government.
A petition has been presented to King Charles III in a bid he will intervene to keep it cooking but the monarch has no control over how the Crown’s £16bn land and property portfolio is run.
Ranjit, who chairs Veeraswamy’s parent company MW Eat, claimed the restaurant had been treated unfairly because it serves Indian – rather than European – grub.
“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 blown up at the hospitality industry’s lowest point in decades with restaurants battling 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.”
The Crown Estate has claimed a major refurbishment of the site is needed to bring it into full use 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.
Ranjit said all his attempts to find a compromise have been rejected including an offer to buy the building outright, match the rent the Estate would receive from office tenants and to take over renovation work.
He also offered to redesign the restaurant to create a shared reception area.
But he said 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.”