“But here, in Auderghem, things are going wellassures Zarrella, the head chef. I have been working at Lunch Garden for 11 years. I worked in Jumet, Couillet and Waterloo before landing in Auderghem. There were people everywhere. Here, it’s even better than in other restaurants, but Friday evening’s announcement was a blow. We didn’t see anything coming and we don’t understand the situation. We opened again this weekend and this Monday, but as we are no longer delivered, we will no longer have stock to open in the coming days. We wait for the announcements, trying not to think too much about the situation because it is dramatic for all the staff. We hope that the recovery will take place as soon as possible and that we will be able to reopen because we know that our restaurant is doing well.”
Lunch Garden files for bankruptcy: here are the restaurants that will close, the unions are “angry” and presented “with a fait accompli”
According to the newspaper litterthe future of the Auderghem restaurant is however threatened. The restaurants of Froyennes, Inno rue Neuve, Messancy, St Denis Westrem, St Kruis Brugge and Wilrijk are expected to close. As for franchisees, those in Waterloo, Auderghem, Evere, Inno Meer, Flémalle, Libramont, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ghent, Hasselt and Hannut will also go out of business. The future of the restaurants in Arlon and Ederghem is still uncertain at present.
In Evere, the atmosphere is just as sad. The chairs are on the tables and the restaurant has kept its doors closed. And so he shouldn’t reopen them.
-Since 2021, the British fund ICG has become the main shareholder of Lunch Garden. To try to get things back on track after the difficult Covid period, ICG injected 13.5 million euros in 2023 and 5 million euros in 2024. But faced with losses linked to the health crisis, the increase in manufacturing costs energy, the indexation of salaries and rents (Lunch Garden rents its premises) and the rise in food prices, Lunch Garden has not managed to get back afloat, continues the economic daily.
No buyer had come forward despite a private judicial reorganization last year. “It will therefore have been necessary to turn to silent bankruptcy for a candidate to finally come out of the woods.” Around 260 jobs should be saved. Management declared this Monday morning that they were aware of the impact of this decision. “We are aware that this is a huge shock for our employees. First of all, we would like to emphasize that this decision mainly affects our employees and their families. This is a particularly difficult decision to make, but it is the only way to build a sustainable future and retain as many jobs as possible,” said Stephan Brouwers, CEO of the Lunch Garden.
Over the past two years, Lunch Garden has recorded a positive evolution in its turnover and operating profit, thanks to a new strategic vision and the efforts of all employees. But this positive development proved insufficient to support the necessary investments. Lunch Garden therefore remained dependent on financial injections from shareholder ICG, however this model was no longer viable. It is therefore freed from its historical debts and by banking on a more restricted network of restaurants and the closure of unprofitable entities that Lunch Garden intends to make a new start.
