RESTAURANT STUDIO CLOSES
PRESS RELEASE: October 10, 2024
It is with a heavy heart, but a clear mind, that we announce the closure of Restaurant STUDIO.
Saturday, October 12, will be the last opportunity to experience the top-tier restaurant STUDIO in Carlsberg Byen. After a gastronomic journey spanning more than ten years, two locations, and numerous awards, the restaurant will close in its current form. Simultaneously, Christoffer Sørensen will step down as head chef.
In 2019, LOCA Gruppen took over STUDIO from Claus Meyer, with the aim of creating a flagship restaurant for sustainable gastronomy at the highest level. A top restaurant with sustainable ingredients, sustainable working conditions – and sustainable finances. The restaurant garnered six-star reviews, a place on the World’s 50 Best ‘Discovery’ list, the Dish of the Year award, and Michelin’s ‘Young Chef’ award for Christoffer Sørensen. However, the costs associated with maintaining such high standards have ultimately outweighed the necessary guest volume for financial viability.
In 2023, the restaurant showed a profit, but throughout 2024, the financial situation has steadily worsened. With no signs of improvement and in order to minimize losses for the remainder of the year, LOCA Gruppen has decided to close the restaurant at short notice.
"We are very proud of what we have achieved with STUDIO, but we have sadly come to realize that the current times call for something different than the experience and price point STUDIO represents. Financial sustainability and responsibility are core values of LOCA Gruppen, and in light of this, we have chosen to pull the plug now," say owners Dorte Juhl Østergaard and Merete Holst.
New LOCA Concept to Occupy the Space
LOCA Gruppen is not done with the location or with Carlsberg Byen, where the group also runs the popular Restaurant Dolores. In the spring of 2025, a new gastronomic concept will be unveiled in the STUDIO premises, says Merete Holst, CEO and owner of LOCA Gruppen.
“We are very fond of both Carlsberg Byen and our beautiful premises here, and we are not letting go of them. We are currently working at full speed on the new gastronomic concept that will follow STUDIO. It will be something entirely different, but we can already reveal that the level of both gastronomy and sustainability in every aspect will remain high."
A Mark on Danish Gastronomy
STUDIO began at The Standard under the leadership of Torsten Vildgaard, who earned the restaurant its fastest-ever Michelin star in 2014. In 2021, Christoffer Sørensen took over as head chef at STUDIO, and shortly thereafter, the restaurant left The Standard. In December 2022, STUDIO reopened in its new location in Carlsberg Byen, where it was quickly recognized as one of the country's best, receiving six-star reviews from both Berlingske and Politiken, various gastronomic awards, and international recognition. Nevertheless, it did not achieve the Michelin star that many had predicted.
STUDIO will remain open until Saturday, October 12, and the team promises to go out in style.
"During these final days, we will give STUDIO the farewell it deserves, and we guarantee that we will give it everything we've got," says the team at STUDIO.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our many loyal guests for the countless wonderful moments we have shared together. It has been a pleasure and a privilege.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU.
Practical Information & Further Details:
Both the company behind STUDIO and the restaurant's lease in Carlsberg Byen will continue under LOCA. All financial and contractual obligations, including gift cards, will, of course, be honored.
For further information, please contact:
CEO & Head of Gastronomy, Merete Holst: mho@locagruppen.dk or +45 28 25 55 00.