Year-end F&B closures: Tippling Club shuts on Dec 31, Wine RVLT to close in 2025

SINGAPORE – Wave after wave of closures have battered the food and beverage scene this year – and the last quarter of 2024 has not spared long-time establishments. 

Tippling Club in Tanjong Pagar closes on Dec 31 after more than 16 years, following the shutting of several restaurants in November. 

Three restaurants ended their leases on Nov 30. They are 10-year-old vegetarian restaurant Joie at Orchard Central, as well as Italian restaurants Gemma and one-Michelin-starred Art di Daniele Sperindio – with their nine-year lease up at the National Gallery Singapore. 

Prior to this, 16-year-old Japanese restaurant Akanoya Robatayaki at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel shut on Nov 26, while four-year-old Portuguese restaurant Tuga in Dempsey also bowed out in the same month. 

All these add to the slew of Michelin-starred establishments that ceased operations in 2024, including Sommer, Chef Kang’s, Braci, Beni, La Dame de Pic and Sushi Kimura. 

And there are more to come, with popular wine bar Wine RVLT in Carpenter Street announcing on Dec 6 that it will not be renewing its lease in 2025. 

In an Instagram post, it highlights a rise in cost of ingredients, utilities and rent and that the business is “no longer sustainable”. 

Calling 2025 “one for the road”, the post adds: “Will we stay till the end? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that we still have a team of eight to feed and we’ll keep pushing and fighting. 

“Every single hi and hug and nugget purchased or glass of wine is appreciated, and it will bring us on to the next month.” 

In response to The Straits Times’ queries on closing Tippling Club, its chef-owner Ryan Clift says: “Quite frankly, it’s been a mad journey with multiple businesses and travel around the world, multiple awards and multiple heartbreaks.” 

“I just need a break from everything except that which is close to me,” adds the 48-year-old father of two, who says he has been working 16- to 18-hour days for the past 32 years, 17 of which were at Tippling Club. 

Over the years, the restaurant has made it to several lists. In 2017, it ranked No. 27 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In 2022, it was No. 43 on the World’s 50 Best Bars and No. 27 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars lists. 

More recently in November, Clift received an Excellent Award at The Best Chef Awards 2024, a chef-focused ranking in its eighth year. 

He will be focusing on his wife and children, as well as his mental well-being, for at least six months before considering another project. 

For some, their closures spell new beginnings.  

Chef Daniele Sperindio, 37, is set to take Art di Daniele Sperindio to the next level in 2025 as he plans to relocate the restaurant. He is in the midst of picking a new location that could include a bakery concept as well. 

He made the decision to move the restaurant since negotiations to renovate the space at National Gallery Singapore did not pan out.  

While he acknowledges that the fine-dining scene is struggling, he highlights that his restaurant was still profitable and remains optimistic for the new year. 

He says: “Starting at a place from scratch gives me the opportunity to evolve based on the chef I am today versus four years ago. Change is tiring, but also exciting.

“We hope to see a bounce back in business in the second half of 2025. As entrepreneurs, it is important to be positive and make informed decisions.” 

As for Akanoya Robatayaki, there are plans to move to a smaller space – with only one grill counter – possibly in late 2025. 

The restaurant is under the Akashi Group, which also runs its flagship Akashi restaurant at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel and casual restaurant London Fat Duck at PLQ Mall. 

The group’s chef-owner Mervin Goh, 53, says there was no choice, but to pull the plug on Akanoya. 

He believes restaurant closures will not stop for at least another year for as long as rents continue to increase and spending decreases.

He adds: “The recent closures show that good food and famed chefs no longer guarantee success. Cost management continues to be a big challenge going forward.”