that restaurant was nice, but the location was not convenient at all to carry a big crowd, AND the rent price in this area are inflating. same problem with the legation quarter, I'm really wondering if sadler is making any money at all.
Has River Club’s Ship Sailed?
After a dazzlingly brief half-year, River Club suddenly closed its doors on March 11. The fine dining Italian restaurant run by chef Marco Sacco – owner of the Michelin-starred Piccolo Lago restaurant – opened to rave reviews last fall.
Some of River Club’s kitchen staff previously worked in the Legation Quarter’s Meat & Wine Co., which closed in March 2010. Now these well-trained but unlucky guys are out of work again, seemingly because of an all-too-common problem: rent. One local food writer tells us: “The rent kept rising, and some of their investors seem unwilling to continue to support an unprofitable project anymore.” A source at the restaurant’s PR agency told us: “We cannot reach them – our contract with them has expired anyway.”
A former manager at the restaurant suggested that River Club’s financial difficulties ran deeper, telling us: “I think River Club closed mainly because of not adapting to the Chinese market and poor cost control. The staff hasn’t been paid for at least one and a half months.“ Our source also claimed that the restaurant is undergoing legal bankruptcy proceedings at present. Others have said that River Club may reopen once the restaurant's current difficulties are worked out, but for now things look bleak.
River Club was nominated in the Beijinger’s 2011 Reader Restaurant Awards in the “Best Italian (High End)” category. Results will be announced on Monday.
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Legal rent agreements mean nothing in Beijing.
I know of several restaurants who face rising rents every month and one off "payments" to keep their basics like electricity and gas on. And they have fixed leases.
It is getting almost impossible for foreign places to do business here.
They were only open for six months, and "the rent kept rising"?
Why would anyone agree to a lease without fixed rent prices?
I mean, sure, the greedy fucking landlords will still try to cheat you, but at least you've got a legal agreement.
Never mind. I just realized how silly that sounded.
