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Le Cheri owners announce closing in late May

The posh Bibou, the flagship, is unaffected.

Chef Pierre Calmels visiting with guests dining at Le Cheri in 2014.
Chef Pierre Calmels visiting with guests dining at Le Cheri in 2014.Read moreDAVID M WARREN / Staff Photographer, file

Restaurateurs Pierre and Charlotte Calmels told staff at Le Cheri — their twee, 3-bell French bistro in the Philadelphia Art Alliance off of Rittenhouse Square — would close in late May after 4½ years.

Chef Pierre Calmels has been working out of the couple's top-rated flagship, Bibou, in South Philadelphia. Recently, Charlotte Calmels stepped away from the restaurant and started working for D'Artagnan, the meat and charcuterie purveyor.

Charlotte Calmels, emotional about the decision, said she and her husband just struck an agreement with the University of the Arts and wanted to give staff time to find other employment.

With their lease up in September, and reeling from a slow winter, the couple decided to close, she said.

Last day of service will be Sunday, May 27. A private party is booked after that.

Bibou will be unaffected.