Following the pandemic, fine dining restaurants such as Noma need to seek out new ways to thrive.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the reason for the struggles of many restaurants. The fine dining business was not exempt from this.
With three Michelin stars, the Copenhagen restaurant announced on its website that it will be closing its doors after Winter 2024.
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Instead, the brand will continue on as Noma 3.0. “To continue being noma, we must change,” says the announcement.
To continue being noma, we must change. Therefore, dear guests, colleagues, and friends, we have some exciting news to share. Head over to https://t.co/8DqGez12f2, to read more about noma 3.0.
— restaurant noma (@nomacph) January 9, 2023
Noma plans to reinvent itself into a “giant food lab,” to be launched in 2025. The new test kitchen will be “Dedicated to the work of food innovation and the development of new flavors, one that will share the fruits of our efforts more widely than ever before.”
The brand plans to travel all around the world in search for new ideas and flavors, setting up pop-ups wherever they go.
The Copenhagen restaurant may still open, but only for seasonal menus. “Serving guests will still be a part of who we are, but being a restaurant will no longer define us. Instead, much of our time will be spent on exploring new projects and developing many more ideas and products.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Noma co-owner and head chef René Redzepi says that the fine dining industry has become unsustainable.
He adds that “We have to completely rethink the industry. This is simply too hard, and we have to work in a different way.”
Noma first opened in 2003 with a focus on local and seasonal products. During its current Game and Forest Season menu, reservations cost $500 per person at the least.
After the announcement of its closing and reinvention, it will surely be more difficult to secure a table at the renowned restaurant as many diners will want to bid it farewell.
Banner photo via Noma’s website.
