Covid leaves Ramsay with bitter taste as turnover drops by £58m
GORDON Ramsay has revealed sales at his restaurant business fell by almost £60 million in the last year.
The chef told of the financial impact of Covid-19 on his eateries and said he had been hurt by criticism he received for accepting government aid.
His company Gordon Ramsay Restaurants operates his 14 Londonbased restaurants and 10 international eateries in locations such as Las Vegas and Singapore.
The Scot said turnover was down by £58.5million. The company used the Government’s furlough scheme to pay staff and Ramsay met Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week.
On BBC Radio Five Live, Ramsay, 54, said: ‘There was criticism about me meeting the Chancellor like “Hey what’s Ramsay complaining about? He’s a multi-millionaire”.
‘My business is privately-owned and there’s one shareholder and that’s me. So putting in millions of pounds to keep this thing afloat is my personal decision.
‘Yes I’ve been supported but it’s a private family business and I’m as close to the business as I was two decades ago and it’s painful when you see the casualties that will not reopen.
‘I get so fed up when everyone thinks it’s easy for me because... “you’ve made money and you’re not hurting”.’
Ramsay, originally from Johnstone, Renfrewshire, said TV work had allowed him to earn but he was focused on his restaurants. He said: ‘It’s about getting us out of this.’
Ramsay hosts a TV game show – Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance – on BBC One tonight.