The Layon restaurant in Granollers (Barcelona) turned off its stoves for good on January 10th after more than 130 years of history and four generations of the Planas family, the last of which has decided to retire without their descendants wanting to continue with the business.
The hospitality beginnings of this family date back to 1892, when the great-grandfather of the current owners, Hilarión Planas Bosch, opened a tavern located next to the current establishment, as specified in an interview with EFE by the brothers Ramon and Josep Planas, who have managed the restaurant until now.
In fact, the restaurant's name comes from the distortion of the founder's name and has since become a symbol for the Vallesana locality, which has seen other historical businesses in the municipality, such as the Casa Bassa pajama and underwear store — 128 years old — also close down.
130 years of service
The closure of this historical establishment is due to the lack of generational succession
In the 1950s and 60s, the restaurant enjoyed a period of splendor, thanks to the Sagalés bus company setting up a stop nearby for their vehicles coming from Caldes de Montbui (Barcelona) and Moià (Barcelona).
A family saga
“We find ourselves between two seas. On one hand, we are happy to end one chapter of our lives and begin a new one as retirees, but on the other hand, we are sad to leave behind an establishment with 133 years of history that will disappear due to life's circumstances,” explains Josep, the head chef, attributing the closure to the lack of generational succession.
In addition, he believes that, sooner or later, the “middle” part of the hospitality industry that has dedicated a lifetime to serving dishes will die, as there are days when they work 17 or 18 hours. “Little by little, traditional cuisine will cease to exist,” Josep comments worriedly, because it requires a lot of work.
The Andalusian-style squid from Layon restaurant
They consider that finding qualified and efficient staff is becoming increasingly difficult, as the top establishments with Michelin stars “take it all,” although Josep points out that they cannot complain about the employees who have worked at the restaurant.
They hold the memory of many workers and clients, whom they consider “family” and, in many cases, “friends” after so many years. These days, they say, they have received a lot of support since they found out about their decision, in mid-December last year.
As a curiosity, on its centenary of service in 1992, the Codorniu group, one of the main producers of cava worldwide, labeled special cava bottles for the restaurant.
Little by little, traditional cooking will cease to exist”
For all those young hoteliers who embark on a new business, they advise to have enthusiasm, patience, and the desire to pursue a very demanding job, which will surely be recognized in the future.
In this sense, they warn that “no matter how much investment is made, if the customer doesn't come in, we are a zero on the left,” and affirm that the best thing for a restaurant is for word of mouth to work.
They can't imagine a Layon 2 under a different administration, and the only possibility is if the descendants, children, or nephews, “want to open something related to hospitality.”
On its centenary of service, the Codorniu group labeled special bottles of cava for the restaurant
In this sense, “Layon has a determined way of cooking, serving, and seeing the world,” and if they copy the name and don't do it the same way, they think it could be harmful to their reputation.
Their signature dishes are cannelloni and Roman-style calamari, but they have specialized in the legendary 'esmorzars de forquilla' (knife and fork breakfasts), which are typical Catalan gastronomy dishes served in the morning, such as 'fricandó', pig's feet, or 'cap i pota', made with fresh seasonal products.
Despite their decision to close the restaurant, they prioritized serving their customers during Christmas and enjoying the final services before permanently shutting down their establishment.