Laurent Café & Chocolate Bar Closing After 20 Years; Owner Unable to Pay 1-Year Advance Rent Required by New Landlord
Before the proliferation of homegrown artisanal chocolate brands such as Mr Bucket Chocolaterie and Janice Wong Pure Imagination, there was Laurent Bernard Chocolatier.
Opened in 2006 by genial French pastry chef Laurent Bernard and his wife Iveta, the chocolaterie and cafe made a splash in Singapore’s dessert scene with its elegant chocolate bonbons freshly made on-site, plus yummy choc soufflés and cakes.
Our food ed says it was a treat visiting the cafe in its earlier years. But as competition heated up with increasingly sophisticated rivals later, the dessert spot showed its age and became more of an afterthought.
After an impressive run of 20 years (an eternity in today’s F&B world) at the same scenic riverside spot, the brand’s sole dine-in outlet at Robertson Quay is calling it quits.
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Closing due to “financial burden” and inability to pay rent
Laurent Café & Chocolate Bar initially announced on Facebook on Aug 6 that its chocolate shop and cafe would shut down that very day, calling it “a heavy day” for the team.
Speaking to 8days.sg, Laurent attributes the closure to the “financial burden” of running the cafe. He says the business had initially been given only seven days’ notice to vacate the premises over outstanding rent.
When asked how much losses the biz had sustained, he says: “I prefer to keep the losses confidential.”
He adds that reduced foot traffic in the Robertson Quay area, coupled with rising rental costs, did not help matters.
Loyal customer stepped in to pay outstanding rent so shop didn’t have to close immediately
However, one of the cafe’s most loyal customers, who is also Laurent’s good friend, later stepped in and paid the outstanding rent in hopes of preventing the landlord from shutting it down immediately.
Thanks to his intervention, the cafe was granted an additional week to remain open, giving the team more time to say goodbye to its customers. Its final day is now on 12 Aug.
Staying put wasn’t possible, shares Laurent, because “the landlord agreed to let us continue occupying the space only if a full 12 months’ worth of [advance] rent was paid upfront”.
“The biggest loss is not financial to me, it’s emotional”
“I understand the [new] landlord’s frustration at not receiving payment on time. However, we have been renting this space for the past 20 years, and we had a very good relationship with our original landlord, CDL,” he shares. He declines to share what he currently pays in rent.
Laurent laments: “The biggest loss is not financial to me, it’s emotional”.
He adds: “It touches me deeply to see so much empathy [from my customers]. This cafe means a great deal to many residents of the neighbourhood. I’m completely devastated by what’s happening to us.”
Online store will continue operating
The chef tells 8days.sg that while Laurent’s Café & Chocolate Bar is closing, the Laurent Bernard Chocolatier brand will continue operating online.
Customers can still order its cakes, chocolate boxes and other treats for delivery or self-collection from its MacTaggart Road central kitchen.
Laurent adds that he has no plans to open another cafe for now and will focus on the online business.
Used to boast a few outlets
Before starting his business in Singapore, Laurent worked at renowned establishments including the Waldorf hotel in London. Beyond its signature bonbons and soufflés, his cafe served favourites such as Black Forest cake, chocolate tart, hot chocolate and ice cream.
The brand later expanded with a cafe at Portsdown Road and retail shops at Takashimaya and Shenton Way, but those outlets are no longer operating. This left its original Robertson Quay joint as its sole walk-in outlet.
“Thank you, and goodbye”
In his farewell post, chef Laurent thanked customers for the memories they had created at the cafe over the past two decades.
“We hope the time you spent here will forever be remembered and cherished,” he wrote. “Thank you, and goodbye.”
Laurent’s Café & Chocolate Bar is located at The Pier at Robertson, #01-11, 80 Mohammad Sultan Rd, S239013. Its final day is Aug 12. Online orders remain available via its website.
Photos: Laurent Bernard Chocolatier
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