Veeraswamy, the century-old Indian restaurant in the UK, the oldest of all, will be taking the Crown Estate to court this month over its ongoing eviction tussle. Co-owner Ranjit Mathrani stated that all negotiations with the Crown Estate, the portfolio of King Charles, failed as the estate is determined to pursue a costly court case. The estate intends to convert the restaurant's space in Victory House into office space. Veeraswamy’s parent company MW Eat will present its case to the central London County Court in a five-day hearing starting June 29, as reported by UK media.
Crown Estate's Refurbishment Plans
The estate said it wanted to carry out a “comprehensive refurbishment” of the offices on the building’s upper floors, which have been empty since a flood affected their power supply in 2023. This would require knocking down the wall that separates the entrance to Veeraswamy. They aim to create a larger reception area for office tenants, allowing them to “materially increase” the rents they can charge. Veeraswamy agreed to the proposal and claimed it could be done without evicting them, also offering to match the rent the estate estimated they would get from office space.
Owner's Statement
“We have really done all we can to answer all their concerns,” Mathrani said, adding that the estate lost more money than the renovation project would have required in the legal tussle, which also involved loss of rent as Veeraswamy's lease was not renewed. “It is well within the competence of many reputable contractors to deliver the defendant’s programme of works in a manner which could accommodate the restaurant business. This is a standard part of many similar refurbishments in London and elsewhere in the UK,” Mathrani said in a witness statement.
Hallowed History of Veeraswamy
The restaurant opened in April 1926 and served guests including Winston Churchill, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Charlie Chaplin, and even Queen Elizabeth II. Its menu was created by Edward Palmer, inspired by recipes for dishes served at the royal palace of Hyderabad, which he learned from his grandmother. The Guardian reported that the king of Denmark used to visit Veeraswamy whenever he came to London – he decided to ship a cask of Carlsberg beer to be stored at the restaurant and served to him whenever he ate curry.
Crown Estate's Response
“This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly,” a spokesperson for the Crown Estate said. “We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House to both bring it up to modern standards, and into full use. 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.” “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,” the estate said.
MW Eat said the estate's compensation will not be enough.
Public Support
A petition to keep Veeraswamy in its original premises has amassed 20,000 signatures and was delivered to Buckingham Palace by the restaurant’s owners in February.
