Topping up its far-flung hospitality holdings with a Paris establishment, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has acquired Chez L’Ami Louis, a tiny bistrot with an outsized popularity, parts and costs.
Monetary phrases weren’t disclosed, however it’s understood LVMH plans to protect its distinctive character because the eatery marks its centenary this yr.
As soon as described by The New York Occasions as a “small, shabby place with peeling brown partitions and shaky chairs,” L’Ami Louis has fed many well-known diners through the years, together with Marlene Dietrich, who used to point out up at midday on Sundays earlier than it opened so she might get pleasure from a quiet, if filling, lunch.
French President Jacques Chirac hosted his American counterpart Invoice Clinton there in 1999, whereas Hollywood habitués included Tim Burton, Francis Ford Coppola, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp.
Extra lately, Spanish singer Rosalía tried out the restaurant’s burgundy snails, which swim in garlic butter, and plopped raspberries on her fingertips for an Instagram op.
It additionally appears to be a spot the place rivalries evaporate: Luxurious titans Bernard Arnault and François Pinault are amongst native regulars.
Well-known for its thick slabs of foie gras, roast rooster completed with goose fats and butter, and different French classics, L’Ami Louis additionally boasts a cellar of virtually 20,000 bottles.
Recent fruits from native suppliers are among the many dessert choices at L’Ami Louis.
The restaurant falls below the LVMH Hospitality Excellence division, which lately added the Orient Categorical model to its portfolio, and introduced formidable plans so as to add extra trains, crusing ships and lodges below that iconic model.
In recent times, LVMH has considerably widened its footprint within the hospitality sector with its acquisition of luxurious journey operator Belmond Ltd., proprietor of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Categorical prepare and lodges together with the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro and the Resort Cipriani in Venice, for $2.6 billion in money. Cheval Blanc lodges and Cova cafés are amongst its different properties.
Its flagship style and leather-based items manufacturers Dior and Louis Vuitton have additionally added extra eateries to their flagship shops in key metropolitan cities.
In a quick launch, LVMH known as L’Ami Louis an “genuine Parisian gem” that “constructed its popularity across the generosity of its dishes and the distinctive high quality of its components. Produce is sourced from small breeders and market gardeners who’ve been loyal to the restaurant for a number of generations.”
The French group stated it will “work alongside the present groups to protect the distinctive character and household identification of the restaurant and proceed to assist its French savoir-faire and experience.”