Sydney’s iconic Thai restaurant Long Chim forced to close it doors

Long Chim will be forced to shut down this week, citing huge rent hikes, power outages and a drop in customers in the post-Covid work-from-home era.

General manager Jill Vasuvanich watches executive chef Andreas Grandville cook up a storm ahead of Long Chim’s forced closing this week. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Iconic Sydney Thai restaurant Long Chim will be forced to shut its doors this week, citing huge rent hikes, power outages and a drop in customers in the post-Covid work-from-home era.

The news comes as fresh Australian Securities & Investments Commission data reveals almost 26,000 businesses have plunged into insolvency since the Albanese government took power in 2022, including 4012 hospitality businesses.

General manager Jill Vasuvanich said the restaurant – owned by Michelin-starred chef David Thompson – explored every cost-cutting option but nothing could make staying open in the CBD sustainable.

“Every cost is going up,” she said. “Last year we tried to put the prices up, but we feel like it’s not fair for the customers, so we put the price back to normal … The labour we tried to cut, but if we cut the labour it means our service goes down. We tried to make it work, but it’s very, very hard.”

General manager Jill Vasuvanich. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Adding insult to injury, the latest round of power outages to hit NSW cost the restaurant about $30,000 in lost revenue.

Executive chef Andreas Grandville said he used to have a “brigade of 12 chefs” in the kitchen but had been forced to downsize over time to between four and five, with only two working full-time.

“A lot of people in this Long Chim team have been here since the opening, so we’re talking about six-eight years. We’ve become close friends over the years,” he said. “It has been a great pleasure for me to run the kitchen here and it’s a great shame to lose this. (All the staff) are looking for jobs, and it will be very hard to bring them back. Fingers crossed, I’m positive.”