Doomsday for Noma LA as diners flee $1,500-a-head luxury restaurant after celebrity chef’s shock resignation

Diners who snapped up reservations at Noma’s LA popup within seconds of the $1,500-a-plate bookings opening up are fleeing in droves after scandal enveloped the restaurant.

The normally fully-booked pop-up had open reservations on the Resy app, The California Post learned.

No reservations are available on Tock, where the restaurant host its waitlist.

The establishment lost its head chef and founder, René Redzepi, on Wednesday as he resigned after allegations that he cultivated an environment akin to a torture chamber. Former employees said Redzepi physically, psychologically and verbally abused staff.

“After more than two decades of building and leading this restaurant, I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant to its next chapter,” he wrote on Instagram.

A grim-faced Redzepi apologized to his employees in an Instagram video and said he was stepping away to ensure they are “100 percent feeling safe.”

In the post, Redzepi suggested his departure will not cut short the 16-week Los Angeles residency, held at a secret location in Silver Lake that has been identified as the Paramour Estate.

“We’ve been open for 23 years, and I’m incredibly proud of our people, our creativity, and the direction Noma is heading,” he wrote. “This team will carry forward together into our LA residency, which will be a powerful moment for them to show what they’ve been working toward and to welcome guest to something truly special.”

Protesters stood outside the gates of the Noma LA pop-up on its opening day Wednesday. The demonstration was led by Noma’s fermentation chief Jason Ignacio White, who launched a whistleblower website called noma-abuse.com on Feb. 21.

The collection of horror stories aggregates testimonials from 56 staff members — ranging from sous chefs to interns — and includes a look at Noma’s financial records, leaked internal communications and testimony from current employees.

Big-name sponsors of the LA residency like American Express pulled out of the event after the allegations snowballed.

Noma announced an “an independent audit to ensure that we keep our standards high and our workplace safe,” on Wednesday. It outlined an organizational restructure that includes the introduction of an HR team, four-day workweeks, a pension fund for employees, staff benefits and leadership coaching, among other changes.

The residency is set to end on June 26.

The California Post reached out to Noma for comment.

When reservations first opened for the Noma pop-up on January 26 the $1,500 reservations sold out within 4 minutes on Tock. A banner declared “Noma LA 2026 has sold out,” even as some hopeful diners were still battling page-loading glitches. The ultra-exclusive residency is supposed to run through June 26.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters