Noma, the Copenhagen eatery, redefined fine dining and eternally changed the restaurant business two decades ago. Despite being a pioneer of gastronomic genius, the Danish foodie destination, run by chef-owner Rene Redzepi, is closing its doors for good. Rene Redzepi, chef-owner of Noma, shared, “We have to rethink the industry,” he told The New York Times. “This is simply too hard, and we have to work in a different way.” The change was impending; despite getting $1.5 million in pandemic support, Noma made a loss in 2021.
The year before that, Noma went from doing $500 tasting menus to a burger and wine takeaway bar. Finally, Roma will close its doors to regular service in 2024, but not without opening new doors for the Noma brand. Come 2025, Noma will break ground as a “giant food lab” dedicated to food innovation and developing new flavors. Dubbed Noma 3.0, the reinvention will offer experimental recipes and products through pop-ups worldwide.
The company said that “being a restaurant will no longer define” the Noma brand. The head chef said, “It’s unsustainable,” Redzepi said of the industry in its current state. “Financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn’t work.” The Michelin three-star restaurant was an iconic food destination with delicacies like sika deer, game birds, and reindeer with forest-scavenged mushrooms and berries for $500. Fans of the restaurant have until the end of 2024 to savor the gastronomic delights that have made Noma!
