Chef René Redzepi has announced that he is set to close Noma, Denmark's coveted restaurant that's won the 'world's best' title on multiple occasions, at the end of next year. Again.
The proposed closure has been attributed to rising costs of keeping the doors open and serving customers in the way they do, with Redzepi calling it 'unsustainable'. These costs include the more recent introduction of payments to Noma's stagiaires. But the brand is not set to end there, announcing its next step on the restaurant's website as Noma 3.0, whereby it will transform the current space into a pioneering test kitchen dedicated to the work of food innovation and the development of new flavours.
It goes on to say, In this next phase, we will continue to travel and search for new ways to share our work. Is there somewhere we must go in the world to learn? Then we will do a noma pop-up. And when we've gathered enough new ideas and flavors, we will do a season in Copenhagen. Serving guests will still be a part of who we are, but being a restaurant will no longer define us. Instead, much of our time will be spent on exploring new projects and developing many more ideas and products.
Our goal is to create a lasting organization dedicated to groundbreaking work in food, but also to redefine the foundation for a restaurant team, a place where you can learn, you can take risks, and you can grow!
Charles Banks, tfp co-founder and director also commented on the news, saying: "There were many rich, varied and polarising views when René Redzepi announced that he'll be closing Noma in 2024. I have to admit feeling a touch of sadness having dined just after they won the World's Best Restaurant for the first time but by thoughts quickly went to asking the question 'If Noma can't make the economics work, what hope do other Michelin-star aspirants have of making fine dining sustainable for the planet and for the people that work for these businesses?'
"His comments are telling "financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being it just doesn't work". Increased food, energy and labour costs are top of mind for all operators right now and clearly you are not immune even with an $800 tasting menu, particularly when that requires the number of chefs that Noma does. Perhaps René had nothing left to prove and had to channel all that creative energy into new projects, which as far as we understand will be concentrating on developing foods, flavours and ingredients in the Noma Food Lab for the e-commerce platform Noma Projects.
"René and the team at Noma are true innovators, they have set the bar for chefs around the world to aim at, we've certainly not seen the last from them that's for sure. Noma closing is not the end of an era but the beginning of a new one, perhaps a paradigm shift for what fine dining even is. Another important message I take away is that it's ok to say 'it's time to stop now'."
Find out more about Noma and its future projects on the brand's website here. Image credit - noma.dk.