Little Red Door is currently ranked number six in The World’s 50 Best Bars and its closure was announced earlier this year due to a fall out between founder Timothée Prangé and its shareholders, which later saw figureheads Alex Francis and Barney O’Kane depart.
“We didn’t have plans to open anything new, but we hated the idea of such an historical bar closing for good or being snapped up by a corporate group. Little Red Door has been so intrinsic to the Parisian bar scene for over a decade and we saw this as our opportunity to protect it. We plan to stay true to the bar’s DNA whilst it evolves under a new team” said Gallou.
“All the guys from Little Red Door have been super supportive throughout the process. I think they trust us to continue the bar’s legacy.”
Gallou and Lescoët received the keys on Friday 14 June and the bar will remain closed for a couple of weeks to undergo maintenance work before re-opening in July 2024.
The nine remaining staff members at Little Red Door will continue at the Parisian bar under the new ownership and Gallou said they will recruit a further six or seven new team members.
Lescoët added: “We are planning on operating the bar as usual upon opening, people love Little Red Door for what it is and we want to continue what makes this bar so great. We will then review changes we need to make as we lead the bar into a new era, however it’s all still work in progress at this stage”
Timothée Prangé, who has since gone onto new ventures, said: “Little Red Door, its team and the community around it have been my joy and passion over 12 years, so I am glad that it is our neighbours and fellow independent bar owners Hugo and Hyacinthe who are taking over ownership of the bar. They have my gratitude and I am sure they will know how to look after Little Red Door in its next chapter.”
The Cambridge Public House, which opened in 2019, is currently number 38 in The World’s 50 Best Bars and in the same neighbourhood as Little Red Door.
