Jeremy King to relaunch Simpson's in the Strand [updated]

Jeremy King is planning to relaunch the historic Simpson’s in the Strand restaurant in London next year.

The restaurateur said he was excited to reopen what he described as the last of London’s "grand-dame restaurants”.

“It is now well over forty years since I fell in love with Simpson’s in the Strand and over twenty years since I first became excited at the prospect of being able to work with the Savoy and take over its helm,” said King.

“Simpson’s is the last of the ‘grande dame’ restaurants that still retains its original décor and features, and the prospect of restoring it to its former glory is the apotheosis of my career. The history of this magnificent institution will be cherished as we bring it fully into the 21st Century.”

The Times reported that plans for the site include a big restaurant downstairs, another upstairs, a basement bar, and a private dining room.

Simpson’s first opened in 1828 and was one of the first restaurants in the UK to win a Michelin star in 1974.

It is owned by the neighbouring Savoy hotel, which invested in a major revamp of the dining room in 2017. The restaurant has not reopened since 2020 and some of its fixtures and fittings, including the famous silver carving trolleys, were auctioned off over the summer.

Franck Arnold, managing director of the Savoy, told The Caterer last month the hotel was in the process of signing a partner to reopen the space and he expected the relaunch to “make a bit of noise”.

Arnold said: “Reopening Simpson’s in the Strand will be a truly momentous occasion for the Savoy and we couldn’t be more delighted to be in partnership with Jeremy King.

“We know he will successfully breathe new life and vigour into this almost 200-year old prized London institution and we can’t wait to welcome guests back through its storied doors.”

Simpson’s will be the third in a trio of London openings planned by King next year. He has taken on the former Le Caprice restaurant site and will relaunch it under the new name Arlington early next year, while King is set to invest £8m in opening New York-inspired ‘grand café’ the Park in Bayswater next spring.

King was ousted from his restaurant group Corbin & King last year after a battle for control with Thai hotel group Minor International, which has since rebranded the business as the Wolseley Hospitality Group.

The new openings form part of a new business group called Jeremy King Restaurants, which he runs as a solo venture.

King received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Cateys.