Michelin-starred La Villa de Camille et Julien put up for sale

A few weeks after the definitive closure of the Pavillon Eden Rose in Kayl, Luxembourg is set to lose another Michelin-starred restaurant in the coming months. The business of La Villa de Camille et Julien, located on Rue de Pulvermuhl in the capital, is up for sale, as evidenced by an advert on a property portal. The price has been set at €590,000.

Heavy heart

When contacted by our colleagues from RTL Infos on Friday morning, chef Julien Lucas confirmed that his restaurant had been put up for sale but stressed that the establishment would continue to welcome customers at its usual times. "We wish to depart, but the market being what it is, we may very well still be here in a year's time", he explained.

The chef further noted with a heavy heart that not a single table was booked for the day's lunchtime service. Just like the evening before.

The restaurant was also not yet fully booked for Saturday evening, with 24 out of 38 covers reserved, and Lucas was counting on last-minute reservations. "For me and my team, it's unbearable. It's even hurtful", the chef admits. He says that he even touched base with his fellow Michelin-starred restaurants in Luxembourg, but they did not really have any explanations to offer.

The couple he forms with Camille Tardif embarked on the adventure of La Villa in June 2020, right in the middle of the Covid pandemic. She had experience in luxury hotels, while he had worked alongside French icon and 'Chef of the Century' Joël Robuchon. Highly ambitious, they were awarded a Michelin star only two years later, in 2022.

Chef Julien Lucas regrets a certain lack of recognition in the Grand Duchy since his arrival in 2020 with his partner Camille Tardif. / © Domingos Oliveira

Are we 'the problem'?

So, why is this establishment, one of the handful of Michelin-starred restaurants in the Grand Duchy, about to close its doors?

Chef Lucas, originally from Moselle, acknowledges that he has been pondering the situation for over a year. "I have to admit that I have less work than other chefs. My prices are lower than those of some non-starred restaurants. The food is very good too, but that tells me that it's not a question of price. And our setting is still pretty. So are we the problem? I don't know", he replies.

Recently, the restaurant even played the RestoDays game, those times of the year when establishments across the country offer menus at affordable prices. In fact, La Villa was the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the last few years to participate. "But RestoDays customers remain RestoDays customers. We don't see them outside this event", says the 38-year-old chef.

Not the end

Aside from the Covid pandemic, which gave the restaurant a difficult start, Lucas cites the impact of remote work, the rise in interest rates, and the attractiveness of air travel as additional strains on the industry. "We used to have loyal customers who now eat in the south of France every weekend", he notes in frustration.

Added to this are difficulties in recruiting staff, a problem faced by many employers in the Grand Duchy. "Offering young people €2,800 net is no longer enough. We have to look abroad. But even French or Belgians, when they realise that they're going to have to pay €1,300 rent to live in a small flat in Luxembourg, we can't attract them any more. I'd love to offer €3,500 net to a young chef de partie, but I'd be forced to raise the price of my menus even further. It's just not feasible."

Lucas says he has been thinking about changing the restaurant's concept and offer a different cuisine. However, it was the fine-dining approach that won over the gastronomic guides, with the restaurant rated 15/20 by Gault&Millau. Chef Lucas also won the title of world champion for his take on hare à la royale, a classic French dish, two years ago.

"Despite the Michelin star, I think we've lacked recognition in Luxembourg. There are still customers who tell us they didn't know us, even though we've been here for nearly five years. And yet everyone in the capital knows when a restaurant is opening or closing. Today, I ask myself the question: do people really want to come and eat at La Villa? Do they like what we do? Most of the customers who come to eat with us compliment us. Maybe we're not in the right place at the right time. So we've come to the conclusion that it's time to move on. It's a carefully considered decision."

Nevertheless, Lucas says has not given up on the industry: "I'm not put off, I'm still an entrepreneur at heart. I have ideas and desires. I'm not afraid of risks or pressure. Where will we be after La Villa? We'll have to wait and see. But we want to get going again."