At Monday’s council meeting, councillors focused on the establishment’s future, with Green Party councillor Fabricio Costa asking Mayor Lydie Polfer whether the Lebanese restaurant is indeed at risk of closure after its application for a new emergency exit was rejected.
The Chiche! group currently operates several restaurants and pop-up locations across Luxembourg. Its largest establishment, located in Limpertsberg, opened six years ago and also houses the production kitchen that supplies all of the group's other locations. Because the number of people inside the premises regularly exceeds 50, the restaurant's manager submitted an application to the municipality of Luxembourg City for a new emergency exit that would be safer and quicker to access than the current one.
The existing emergency exit leads to the back through a cellar, then through a garage, and finally to the front and outside. Both the restaurant owner and the authorities agree that this configuration is far from ideal. Manager Marianne Donven noted that while authorities tolerate the current situation, she would be the one held responsible should an incident occur. The proposed new emergency exit would lead directly outside – but onto land owned by the municipality, which has opposed the plan.
In May, the application was rejected. The new emergency exit, which was also recommended by the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) following a meeting, would lead directly onto the grounds of the Ziltambanq circus school. For the municipality, this is a non-starter, as Mayor Polfer explained. She cited concerns over the safety of schoolchildren, noting that it would be unacceptable for anyone to have unsupervised access to the school grounds. Additionally, the safety door could also allow children to easily enter the restaurant.
However, Mayor Polfer stressed that the rejection would not automatically spell the end of the restaurant. Instead, the municipality is seeking dialogue with the owner. Polfer said that new proposals are already on the table and are being assessed by the CGDIS. The mayor expressed optimism that a solution could be found for the next two years, at which point the lease for the Limpertsberg premises expires.
The restaurant manager made it clear that she does not wish to continue with the status quo but remains open to finding alternatives with the municipality. However, Donven stressed that if no solution is found, the restaurant may need to shut down. This would also put the future of the entire Chiche! project at risk, since the other locations are supplied from Limpertsberg.
Over the past years, Chiche! has become Luxembourg's largest employer of refugees, with some 70 currently working for the group.
