Groucho Club boss quits as he gets to ‘end of his tether’

THE Groucho is the trendy private club where founding member Stephen Fry banned mobile phones and shark pickler Damien Hirst put his £20,000 Turner Prize winnings behind the bar.

But now it’s the boss of the Soho joint rather than one of its famous members who’s caused a sensation.

I can reveal that the Groucho’s managing director, Matthew Hobbs, 43, left his post abruptly at the weekend. The club is now awash with gossip about the reasons for his departure after eight years. However, a spokesman is keen to quash speculation.

‘I think Matt just got to the end of his tether,’ he insists. ‘ You can imagine what running the bloody Groucho Club is like. It’s a really exhausting job.’

Last year, the club announced a 40 per cent increase in its membership fee. And, two years ago, 14