Blumenthal’s Heathrow cafe facing turbulence

AUDITORS have raised a red flag over the future of Heston Blumenthal’s Heathrow airport café, as losses for the celebrity chef’s restaurant empire topped £1m. Tfor2, which owns The Perfectionists’ Café at Terminal 2, is facing “ongoing difficulties due to the pandemic and rising costs”, auditors at Lawfords Consulting said.

Auditors said challenges facing the business suggested a material uncertainty, which may cast “significant doubt” on Tfor2’s ability to continue.

Figures last week showed Heathrow’s footfall remains down around 20pc on 2019 levels. Airline bosses have said they are not expecting numbers to recover to pre-covid levels until 2024, while some analysts suggest demand could only bounce back in 2025.

Tfor2 released its accounts as separate filings for Mr Blumenthal’s Michelin-starred restaurant empire – SL6 – were released, laying out the extent of the pandemic pressures.

Losses in the year to May 2021 had topped £1m at the parent company of Fat Duck and Hind’s Head restaurants. That is double the prior year, when Covid pushed the company to a loss of around £500,000. SL6 said the results reflected enforced closures during the 12-month period. Now, amid the war in Ukraine, food costs are also rising.

SL6 cautioned there were headwinds for the business, despite restaurants now being allowed to fully open.

“They include the increasing cost of supply, a challenging human resources labour market, and how to remain agile,” it said. The chef is no longer a director for SL6 and has never acted as a director for Tfor2, but remains involved with the businesses and is a figurehead for the restaurants. SL6 and Tfor2 declined to comment.