45 Wardour Street, the site of Italian/French restaurant Chez Victor, was held on a 25 year lease by food wholesalers Befran Properties, who plan to make the outlet the first of a planned chain of Turkish restaurants under the name of Efes, BigHospitality understands.
However, the restaurant will continue to trade as an Italian restaurant for the moment, turning it into Efes “in time”, property agents Colman Dean said.
The company’s backers also have interests in a large meat and food wholesale business based in Middlesex, as well as an internet shopping channel in Turkey.
Befran Properties secured the lease for a premium of £350,000 and an annual rent of£ 169,000.
Biagio Caroleo first announced his retirement in September, telling Restaurant Magazine that he wanted to leave the fast lane and spend more time with his family. At its peak, the Biagio Group operated seven restaurants, but now operates just four locations, including 45 Wardour St.
The remaining three Biagio Group sites, in Soho, Piccadilly and Bankside, are still on the market and attracting viewings, Coleman Dean said.
Chez Victor was devastated by a kitchen fire in February 2007, reopening 14 months later with additional private rooms on the first and second floors. The property is of one of London’s oldest restaurant sites, first opening its doors in 1901, and boasts a number of famous dining clients over the years, including Vivien Leigh and Robert Redford.