Italian restaurant chain Spaghetti House ceases trading after 70 years
Lavval Restaurants Limited, the company behind the historic Spaghetti House Italian chain, has entered administration. The business has ceased trading after 70 years of operation.
Information for general guidance, drawn from the public record. Not legal, financial, or insolvency advice. If you are affected by an insolvency, consult a licensed practitioner or qualified solicitor.
Administration for Spaghetti House
Lavval Restaurants Limited, the family business that operated the Spaghetti House Italian restaurant chain, has entered administration. The company stopped trading on 6 May 2026. This marks the end of 70 years of business since the firm started in 1955. The High Court of Justice confirmed the appointment of joint administrators on 6 May 2026.
Spaghetti House ran several sites in London, including Marble Arch, Carnaby Street, Oxford Street, Kensington and Cranbourn Street. The business was incorporated as Spaghetti House Limited on 22 November 1955. The registered address for the company is Pearl Assurance House, 319 Ballards Lane, London, N12 8LY. Its main activity was restaurant operations under SIC code 56101.
The administrators appointed
Stephen Katz and Asher Miller from BTG Begbies Traynor (London) LLP are the joint administrators. Both are licensed insolvency practitioners. Katz has IP number 8681 and Miller has IP number 9251. They are now managing the administration to sell the company assets for the benefit of creditors.
Company officers at the time of notice
Luigi Lavarini, Riccardo Lavarini and Stefana Lavarini were the directors when the company entered administration. Luigi Lavarini was also the company secretary. Other directors and secretaries had left their positions in the years before the insolvency.
Secured lenders
Barclays Security Trustee Limited is a secured creditor. The bank holds a registered charge over the company which was created on 21 May 2020 and delivered on 28 May 2020.
What this means for creditors and customers
The administrators are now in charge of the company affairs. They will send payment instructions and statutory updates to known creditors. All correspondence should go through the firm and address provided in the official notice.
Creditors must submit a proof of debt form to show the amount they are owed. This is the formal way to make a claim during an insolvency. Under paragraph 43 of Schedule B1 of the Insolvency Act 1986, a moratorium is now in effect. This is a legal stay that stops creditors from starting or continuing court action without permission from the court.
Customers who have paid for orders that were not delivered, or those with gift cards and deposits, are usually unsecured creditors. The administrators will look at these claims alongside those of other unsecured creditors. The administrators also manage employee claims for wages, notice pay and redundancy. The Redundancy Payments Service can help staff with certain statutory payments.
Common questions
Are you owed money by Lavval Restaurants Limited?
You are an unsecured creditor unless you hold a registered charge or retention of title. The administrators will write to known creditors in due course with a proof-of-debt form and timetable for the first meeting. Until that letter arrives, no formal action is required from you. Read more about proof of debt and where you sit in the creditor hierarchy.
Did you work at Lavval Restaurants Limited?
Wages owed up to a statutory cap, holiday pay, notice pay and redundancy may be claimable from the Redundancy Payments Service if the company is unable to pay. The administrators will normally coordinate the RP1 claim with the affected staff. See gov.uk: your rights if your employer is insolvent.
Do you hold a deposit, gift card or undelivered order from Lavval Restaurants Limited?
Customers with paid-but-undelivered orders, gift cards or deposits typically rank as unsecured creditors. Where you paid by credit card and the amount was over £100, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may let you claim from the card issuer for breach of contract or misrepresentation by the supplier; the rules apply per item, not per transaction, and the card must be a regulated credit card. Debit-card payments may be recoverable via chargeback.
Are you a director of a company connected to Lavval Restaurants Limited?
Watch for Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 if you intend to keep trading under a similar name in a successor company. The rule prohibits a director of a liquidated company from being involved in another company using the same or a similar name for five years, unless one of the statutory exceptions applies. Read more about Section 216.
Sources
- The London Gazette notice (code Appointment of Administrators)
- Companies House record 00557598
- Court: High Court of Justice
- Editorial standards: how we source and review; five-pass pipeline.
