Bistro Français will close in a month after 41 years in Georgetown.

“It’s time that I retire. That’s the only reason,” says chef and owner Gerard Cabrol. “Plus, Georgetown is not what it used to be… People say it’s going to come back, but I don’t want to wait.”

Georgetown has lost a number of its longest running institutions in recent years. The Guards closed in 2012, Third Edition in 2013, and Chadwicks in 2014, to name a few; all three had likewise been around for more than four decades.

Cabrol opened Bistro Français in 1975 with classic recipes from his native France and received plenty of acclaim in his hey day. The restaurant continues to dub itself a “little French restaurant with a big reputation.”

The restaurant’s last day will be around May 22. Cabrol has no concrete plans after that.

“I’m taking care of my last day here, and then we’ll see what we’re going to do,” he says.

Photo via Bistro Francais