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Veeraswamy, which opened way back in 1926, making it the oldest Indian restaurant in the city, is under threat of closure. Located in Victory House on Regent Street, the restaurant’s lease expires in June and the building’s owner, the Crown Estate (the property management company that belongs to the King), has said it will not be renewing it. The Crown Estate has said that Victory House needs refurbishment, including the expansion of the ground-floor reception area to serve the offices above. That ground-floor area, an additional 11 sqm, would eat into Veeraswamy’s entrance, and without an entrance the restaurant won’t be able to operate.Speaking to The Times, Ranjit Mathrani, co-owner of MW Eat (the group that runs Veeraswamy), said: “I think they’ve come to the view that it’s too tiresome having a restaurant there, they want it to be all offices”, adding that “they don’t care a bugger for history”. Mathrani is looking for an alternative location for the restaurant but if the Crown Estate don’t grant a lease extension until a new site is found, it’ll have to close down.
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