The centerpiece of their restaurant empire, the Michelin-starred HKK London has been closed immediately without notice, only weeks after reports that Hakkasan’s merger with SBE had failed. In our report we noted that the failure might have been due to the reported loss of $49 Million the previous year.
Eater London commented that “News like this becomes increasingly frequent, and it’s time, again, to wheel out the MCA intel that warned of a “challenging period of market correction.” At the time MCA stated that said period “looms,” but with more and more stories of restaurants shutting up shop, perhaps the promised restaurant apocalypse is moving closer than previously thought.”
In a statement, the company said: “As Hakkasan Group continues to focus on its global expansion with imminent projects in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and across Europe, chef Tong and his team will be prioritising this growth and ensuring global consistency of all brands within the Asian Luxury Collection (Hakkasan, Yauatcha and Ling Ling). Therefore chef Tong will be unable to dedicate as much time to HKK in London.”
Tong added: “HKK has been an incredible experience for me and my team. We are immensely proud of everything we have achieved and whilst we are sad to see it close, we understand the business need and look forward to continued success with Hakkasan, Yauatcha and Ling Ling in new and exciting markets.”
