Brasserie Perrier bistro has closed
Brasserie Perrier, one of the landmarks on the Walnut Street restaurant row, has closed without notice. New Year's Eve was the finale, as staff learned that night.
Brasserie Perrier, one of the landmarks on the Walnut Street restaurant row, has closed without notice. New Year's Eve was the finale, as staff learned that night.
The bistro, which opened in January 1997 under Georges Perrier, received a slew of awards, including four stars from Mobil.
Its closing had been inevitable. Co-owner Chris Scarduzio, who started as a sous chef and was elevated to partner in March 2004, said that based on the lease signed in 1996, the partnership was paying about $19 per square foot for rent at 1619 Walnut - about a third of current local rates.
Seeking a better-paying retail tenant, the building owner was negotiating an end to the lease, which was to end in October with a three-year renewal option, Scarduzio said. Business had been OK.
Scarduzio, who seemed quite upset at the closing, said he and Perrier would redouble their efforts at their other jointly owned restaurants, Table 31 in the Comcast Center and Mia's at Caesars in Atlantic City. They're also negotiating a deal for a Le Bec-Fin in Dubai. Perrier owns Georges' in Wayne and Le Bec-Fin in Center City.
A representative for the restaurant said that that all outstanding Brasserie Perrier gift cards will be honored at Le Bec-Fin, Table 31 and Georges' and that all parties booked at Brasserie Perrier in 2009 will be transferred to Le Bec-Fin, Table 31 or Georges' with the contracted menus and pricing.