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Gordon Ramsay falls out of London restaurants top 10
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor1 Sep 2010
A Gordon Ramsay restaurant has failed to make the top 10 of an influential London eating out guide for the first time in a decade.
The 2011 Harden's guide to London's restaurants ranks his flagship Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road at 17th place, down from ninth in the previous “most mentioned” league table.
It marks the end of a long period of dominance for the Ramsay empire which peaked in 2003 when three of his restaurants sat in the Harden's top 10.
Two Ramsay establishments — Royal Hospital Road and Claridge's — also fill two of the top three slots in the “most disappointing cooking” category in this year's guide.
Harden's, founded and edited by brothers Richard and Peter, has long been one of Ramsay's harshest critics, accusing the star of Kitchen Nightmares and the F-Word of putting his TV career ahead of his cooking.
Peter Harden said: “For some time you haven't heard the foodie crowd saying I went to Royal Hospital Road and had the best meal ever.' But what is notable now is the silence even from Gordon Ramsay's supporters. There is a very clear trend that people are just not that interested any more, which is about the worst result for him of all.”
The latest survey findings come after Gordon Ramsay's two main restaurant businesses reported combined losses of almost £8 million for last year.
Gordon Ramsay Holdings International, which owns the overseas restaurants and newer London ventures such as Angela Hartnett's Murano and Plane Food at Heathrow, made an £8.3 million loss. This was mainly due to write-offs caused by the closure of restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Boca Ranton in Florida.
But Gordon Ramsay Holdings, which owns most of his longer established London restaurants, increased pre-tax profits from £383,325 to £567,032 in the year to the end of August last year.
Today's Harden's guide also hails the rise of east London as the capital's most exciting gastronomic district. It names Nuno Mendes's Viajante in Bethnal Green as the “best new restaurant”.
Richard Harden said: “This year east London was for the first time the most active area for new openings after central London.”
A spokesman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said: “We are hugely proud of our three Michelin stars at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay but what is most important is the experience of our customers as evidenced by the fact that they have recently voted it London's Best Restaurant in Which?'s Good Food Guide.”
Reader views (2)
Who really cares ? When these cocksure people open up everywhere they are bound to fail.
- michael, London, UK, 01/09/2010 18:55
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Harden has had a long running beef with Ramsey so this is hardly suprising. Ramsey is now more business man than chef and appears to have spread his franchise too thin.
He's big news in the US at the moment with a number of shows running, they love him there. But sooner or later people will forget what he is other than just a celebrity and his brand will suffer as a result.
If he wants to be taken seriously again (in this country) he needs to dirty those chef whites and get back in the kitchen without the cameras.
- Hansel, London, 01/09/2010 14:07
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