Is the Soho grande dame finally on her last legs?
As with anything iconic, The Groucho Club’s death has been foretold nearly as long as it’s been open. But with a revolving door of management, the past two years have seen younger members leaving in droves. Is the Dean Street grand dame finally on her last legs?
Speaking to more than 30 former and current members, and a host of former staff, a buffet trolley of complaints emerge. The astronomical membership fees, ever increasing with each year. The stringent new security measures. The inescapable presence of septuagenarian partyboy Philip Sallon, who can be found leading singalongs by the piano wearing nothing but a nappy. Ludicrous costs abound: a bottle of Champagne is £90 and the club claret is £60. Some former and current members feel the club is being run into the ground by its newish owners, Artfarm, the hospitality wing of the Hauser & Wirth (h&w) empire. Profits are down – the Groucho made a £1 million loss in 2024, according to publicly available accounts – and everyone, it seems, is elsewhere. As Piers Russell-Cobb, a long-standing member, says: ‘There are times when I’ve been in lately when it’s been empty.’
