A friendly farewell – Dan Arnold sells stake in La Cache à Vín to Romain Maunier
La Cache à Vín has quietly changed hands, with chef and co-owner Dan Arnold selling his stake to longtime business partner Romain Maunier. The move marks a natural progression for the Spring Hill favourite, as Romain maintains the restaurant’s legacy while Dan refocuses on his flagship fine-diner. Despite the shift, it’s business as usual at La Cache – same team, same soul and same French charm.
There are some changes afoot at one of Brisbane’s most beloved French restaurants, La Cache à Vín.
Dan Arnold, of Restaurant Dan Arnold fame, has sold his 50-percent share of the restaurant to business partner Romain Maunier, who – alongside his wife Kat – has expanded his portfolio to include both La Cache and Little Provence in The City.
The duo took over the storied Spring Hill restaurant from legendary chef Thierry Galichet and his wife Carol Galichet in 2022, who first opened La Cache underneath what was once St Paul’s Tavern – the one-time home of notorious bottle shop John Rob’s Cellars – approximately four years prior.
The restaurant quickly earned a loyal following thanks to Thierry’s unadulterated take on quintessential French gastronomy, as well as the way the veteran restaurateur wove the warmth of Burgundy’s restaurant scene into the cavernous site’s history-rich bones.
Under Dan and Romain’s stewardship, La Cache has continued to go from strength to strength, with Romain overseeing the restaurant’s day-to-day operations while Dan assisted with menu formulation and some behind-the-scenes logistics.
Speaking with The Weekend Edition, Dan reveals that the decision to sell his share of the restaurant to Romain stemmed from a desire to strip back his workload, the limits of which had been pushed in recent years as Dan juggled Restaurant Dan Arnold, La Cache à Vín and Pneuma (which closed earlier this year after a heralded tenure on George Street), while also representing Australia at the biennial Bocuse d’Or competition.
To say Dan was stretched thin would be an understatement.
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“Dan was running three restaurants and he did Bocuse d’Or last year – that’s a lot to do all at once,” says Romain. “He came to see me about three months ago and said he wanted to focus back on his main restaurant, Restaurant Dan Arnold, because that’s where everything started.”
“La Cache is something that is extremely important to me and when he offered it, I couldn’t say no.”
Both Dan and Romain are eager to assure the restaurant’s clientele that aside from its ownership structure, it’s business as usual at La Cache à Vín.
“It was more of a natural progression, if anything,” says Dan. “Romain ran the restaurant day-to-day, so my involvement was as much as he wanted and needed – writing menus and doing special events, for example. But the daily operation was himself solely, same as me with RDA. So, there’s no real change in anything either.”
“The team’s been there for a long time and they’re staying there. It’s just business as normal.”
When prompted to reflect on what they believe to be the high points of their working relationship, both Dan and Romain cite their ability to maintain La Cache’s reputation and high-level execution as a particularly rewarding aspect of their partnership.
“We kept the business as is – appreciated by our long-term customers while bringing in some new customers,” says Romain. “People mention to us that it’s as good or feels as good as when it was operated by the previous owners. Obviously, we added our touch to the business, but the backbone – what Thierry and Carol created for years at La Cache – we tried to keep on going with that.”
“I’d say on a personal level, we’ve pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones – the boundaries of how we work and how we look to work,” adds Dan. “I think it’s been rewarding learning how one or the other approaches things, not to necessarily implement, but to just be aware of, to work with and adapt.”
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When it comes to La Cache’s culinary direction moving forward, Romain assures us little will change. The kitchen, now helmed by Tom Manvell (formerly head chef at Montrachet), is continuing to plate up classic French bistro cuisine using exceptional local produce.
“There’s a backbone to the menu at La Cache that has been present since Thierry had it and since we’ve had it,” adds Dan. “It’s very easy to follow that train of thought – you don’t have to go far off it. It’s a high-quality product. It’s straightforward.”
“I have absolutely nothing to change,” agrees Romain. “Yes, we keep it seasonal and interesting with specials – but that’s really depending on the team and what suppliers offer to us. Tom is a very good addition to keep the kitchen team motivated and also to be hands-on with them on a day-to-day basis.”
Romain is also excited for his wife Kat to also increase her involvement at both La Cache and Little Provence.
“She has extensive experience in the hospitality industry, and I think that will be a great addition,” says Romain. “Some of our regulars know her already.
“She will put all her focus into our two restaurants, helping them to become similar to what La Cache used to be with Thierry and Carol, which is a family business.”
As for Dan, he is honest when The Weekend Edition asks that he’ll be prioritising in his immediate future.
“Probably myself,” says the busy chef. “Not even the restaurant, just myself. That’s the big one.”
Soon, however, expect to see Dan Arnold dedicating his full attention back to the fine-dining institution that bears his name, now in its eighth year of operation.
“I was torn in so many directions, I couldn’t always be there to put my stamp on everything,” Dan tells us. “So it’s been good to reset some things.”
The future is also bright for Romain and Dan’s friendship, which remains strong.
“When we want to talk about food or whatever, we always exchange ideas,” says Romain. “Dan was always calling me or texting me, inviting me to come [to RDA] and try the new dishes and this doesn’t change.”
“I’m still good friends with a lot of the staff, so I’m going to be in and out as much as I was before,” says Dan.
At the end of the day, little is expected to be different from a dining standpoint. Expect the same warm service, traditional French cuisine and exceptional wine.
“For the customers, it’s not a change,” says Romain. “[Dan and I] have a nice story together, which will keep on going – not as a partnership, but as a friendship.”