Roux folds under Covid pressure

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 07 December, 2020

Plummeting footfall in central London has done for Roux at Parliament Square, with Michel Roux Jr announcing the permanent closure of the well-loved Westminster site.

The chef and restauranteur announced the news on the restaurant’s website, thanking patrons and explaining how the restaurant has suffered during an “incredibly difficult year”.

The ongoing uncertainty has also contributed to the decision to close the fine dining operation, which is Michel Roux Jr’s second in London.

It is another blow for London’s vibrant restaurant scene, with the loss drawing messages shock and sadness on Twitter.

“Horrible news,” said Andrew Scott, the former head chef of Restaurant 56 at Oxfordshire’s Sudbury House Hotel.

Another commentator in the hospitality industry said, “[It's] a bit of shock that roux at parliament square is closing, such an iconic restaurant with a team beyond talented big loss to the British culinary scene”.

Roux at Parliament Square is run in partnership with the Roux family and forms part of RA Group's fine dining and public restaurants arm.

The restaurant has been overseen by 2020’s National Chef of the Year Steve Groves since 2013.

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