LEGO® House had another bumper year in 2019 with guest number up compared to 2018. This continued success has resulted in a few changes at the Billund attraction. To help accommodate increasing visitor numbers, the decision has been made to shut the fine-dining restaurant LE GOURMET. It will be replaced with a new food concept eatery, that will focus on ‘share food’ eating. This new place to eat is still being worked on, but it will compliment both the MINI CHEF and our BRICKACCINO café areas and will be tested in the coming weeks.
Guest record and new food concept
2019 was a huge success in LEGO® House, reaching no less than 281,786 paying guests and thus a 15% growth compared to 2018. But this success comes with a cost, says Managing Director Jesper Vilstrup:
“We are really proud that we in 2019 exceeded our expectations for the number of guests in both the Experience Zones and in the public area of LEGO Square. But unfortunately having this many guests means that we cannot provide the dining experience we would like to in our eateries – the capacity is simply too low. And that applies both to the kitchen and in the restaurant areas.”
Therefore, management has made the decision to close the fine-dining restaurant, LE GOURMET, and the restaurant will therefore not open with the rest of the house after the winter close-down on January 18, 2020.
Jesper Vilstrup says:
“Closing LE GOURMET has been a difficult decision as we basically love the restaurant and the idea of having a great gourmet restaurant in Billund. On the other hand, it is no secret that it has been difficult to attract a continuous flow of guests into the restaurant. And when you consider that we have capacity challenges for our dining LEGO House guests during the day, it ultimately makes sense to utilise the space better.”
Already in weeks 6 and 7, LEGO House will test a new food concept. It will be a modern “share food” concept, where guests do not receive individual servings, but share the meal with their friends and families at the table.
It is therefore not a question of involving the upper floor to expand the popular MINI CHEF restaurant – but instead to offer an entirely new food concept, which is especially relevant on the days when there are a lot of guests in LEGO House.
“Our kitchen, which serves MINI CHEF, is already too low on capacity, so we can’t increase the production in there. With the new “share food concept” we get a delicious alternative to MINI CHEF and our BRICKACCINO café, which we expect our guests will welcome. It is still very important for us to provide a high quality experience, and this applies whether you play in the Experience Zones or whether you have to refuel in the eateries, ”says Jesper Vilstrup.
17th January 2020
What the heck does “share food concept” mean? A bag of crisps and a kit-kat?
It always amazes me how busy the Mini Chef is considering that it’s not cheap. But, there isn’t much in Billund for visitors to eat, so I can see why it’s busy!
Apart from the steakhouse, that also sells pizza and kebabs, and a couple of smaller eateries, visitors to Lego House really don’t have a big choice. There’s no fast food outlets nearby. Maybe that will change once the new shopping area opens which is currently being constructed adjacent to the Home of the Brick? I hope so!