Spaghetti House closes all restaurants amid ‘difficult market conditions’

Spaghetti House has collapsed into administration and closed all of its restaurants after 70 years of trading.

Lavval Restaurants Limited, which traded under Spaghetti House, appointed administrators Asher Miller and Stephen Katz of Begbies Traynor on 6 May to oversee a controlled wind down of the company.

The family-owned hospitality business ceased trading upon entering administration, with all sites closing and staff being made redundant.

A notice on Spaghetti House’s website read: “We’re sorry all our restaurants are now closed. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our loyal customers, partners and team members, past and present, for your support over the years.”

Asher Miller, partner at BTG, said: “After a number of years of challenging market conditions worsened by soaring operational, employment, energy and tax costs affecting the hospitality industry, the directors of Lavval Restaurants approached BTG for advice on their available options. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the directors made the difficult decision to enter administration and appoint us to manage the controlled wind down of the business.

“We will now carry out our role as joint administrators to deliver the best outcome for creditors, working to realise assets, assist former employees with claims, complete our investigations and report to stakeholders in line with our statutory requirements. It is a great shame to see a longstanding restaurant business close and we know the decision was not taken lightly. We wish the best to the directors and the rest of the team as they look to their next chapters.”

Luigi Lavarini, executive chairman and chief executive of Lavval Restaurants Limited, said: “After 70 years of serving our loyal customers, it is with a heavy heart that we announce Lavval Restaurants Limited has entered administration and will cease trading. Years of increasing costs from the pandemic, Brexit, government budgets and global instability have created difficult market conditions for hospitality. Balancing these costs with reduced demand and spending from customers as they navigate the rising cost of living has proven too challenging. Despite best efforts and seeking professional advice, we have had to make this difficult but necessary decision to wind down our business.

“We are immensely proud of what our family and our incredible team have built over seven decades. Their dedication, resilience, and commitment have been at the heart of everything we have achieved. We would like to express our deepest thanks and gratitude to our loyal customers, partners, and team members, past and present, for their support over the years.”

Spaghetti House was founded by two friends – Simone Lavarini and Lorenzo Fraquelli – in London’s Goodge Street in 1955.

By 1985, the brand’s ready-made pastas were stocked across supermarkets and luxury department stores across London like Harrods and Fortnum & Masons, and at its peak, Spaghetti House had close to a dozen sites across London.

At the time of its closure, Spaghetti House was operating five restaurants across London in Marble Arch, Carnaby, Oxford Street, Kensington and Soho.

In March 2024, the restaurant group posted a pre-tax loss of £177,000 following an “extremely difficult year” for the business.