Caviar House Airport Premium (CHAP) entered administration on 6 September 2024, with Ken Touhey of Insolvency & Recovery Limited and Marco Piacquadio of FTS Recovery Limited serving as joint administrators. The business and its assets were sold to SBC Travel Limited, a new company that includes Peter Rebeiz, CEO of the broader Caviar House & Prunier brand, as one of its owners.
As part of the administration, CHAP has closed four locations at Heathrow, including its seafood bars in Terminals 2, 4, and 5. The seafood bar in Heathrow Terminal 3 and the casual Sandwich House in Terminal 2 were retained in the sale. Additionally, Caviar House & Prunier’s seafood bar in Gatwick’s South Terminal has been preserved.
The number of jobs affected by these closures remains unclear. Touhey commented that the significant impact of Covid on the global travel industry, coupled with the challenges of post-Brexit trading, made it “impossible” for CHAP to continue its operations. He remarked on the brand’s unique position within the hospitality and luxury food markets, which has faced multiple financial challenges in the past decade.
Piacquadio expressed that the aim was to find the best resolution for Caviar House’s creditors, customers, and workforce, highlighting that SBC Travel intends to broaden their product range and extend their presence in other travel locations.
Caviar House & Prunier represents the merger of the Caviar House brand, established in 1950 by George Rebeiz, and the French caviar producer Prunier, founded in 1872 by Alfred Prunier. The group’s London operations, which feature a flagship restaurant and retail boutique in Piccadilly, as well as a Champagne and oyster bar in Selfridges, are managed by a different entity, Caviar House UK City Ltd.
Chris Mehmet, managing director of Caviar House UK City Ltd, stated that the news of CHAP’s administration was disappointing but does not reflect on the Caviar House brand or its London locations. Last October, Caviar House & Prunier had partnered with the Threadneedles Hotel to open their first venue in the City of London, marking their first new location in nearly ten years. However, this restaurant quietly closed in the spring, with Mehmet clarifying that this closure was unrelated to CHAP.
