British Top Chef In Financial Trouble

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Feb 8th 2009 at 7:02PM

British celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson is the latest to feel the recession pinch. His company AWT Restaurants Ltd. went into administration last Friday. BBC News reports that he has had to shut four restaurants, making 60 employees redundant. He has had to use his personal savings to help hold on to two other restaurants, Windsor Grill and the Kew Grill, and a delicatessen, WIndsor Larder. The company went into receivership after Worrall Thompson failed to raise £200,000 from his bank (he was unwilling to offer his home as a guarantee to the bank). He has appeared on the BBC shows Food And Drink and Ready Steady Cook.

Just last week, we heard reports that chef Gordon Ramsay may also be facing trouble with diminished bookings in his restaurants and a £10million outstanding loan to Gordon Ramsay Holdings with the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Tags: antony worrall thompson, AntonyWorrallThompson, awt, chef

Filed under: Dining

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Daria Morgendorffer Feb 11th 2009 4:34AM

As a Manager of a fast food restaurant, I would find it difficult to employ anyone whose appearance borders on being clinically obese - and therefore, were I to be in the unfortunate position of interviewing Mr Antony Worrel Thompson, would suggest the reply for any table cleaning person once he had lost about 10 stone. The fact is that I want people to visit my establishment, and the one biggest turn off for the customer is to see fat people. How grosss !!!!

Dudley Haas Feb 11th 2009 4:00AM

He must've taken cooking lessons from Gregory Peck and his genius son Eric. They ruined a perfectly good tenderlin in X-mas '07 by over cooking the hell out of it. It was like chewin' on a rubber tire.

Tony D Feb 11th 2009 5:36AM

Sounds like a bunch of jealouse people to me. If you don't like him or her or whoever. Then change the damn channel. Bunch of hypocrites!!!!!!

Chef Alfred Feb 11th 2009 5:37AM

GINA D TORRES- The someone who cleans the tables is the Bus person, notorious for smashing plates & glasses & not showing up. I just made food for Hilary Clinton, Rudy Guiliani, etc. I've been on TV, papers, etc.
You are right, the real world of food is incredibly fast paced but the food is incredible....Al

joeblow Feb 12th 2009 7:13PM

i know this guy chef fred.....he is nothing but a blowhard and mcdonald's wouldn't let him cook in their kitchen.

JM Feb 11th 2009 11:25AM

To those who have said no one has to watch the show, you’re absolutely right.

I chose not to watch the show.

However, the point I am making is that such shows only contribute to a coarsening of the culture, which affects all of us.

So the next time your in a store or at a sporting event with your children and someone nearby starts to swear a blue streak over the slightest issue, don’t be embarrassed or annoyed; celebrate the moment and thank people like Gordon Ramsay for making it perfectly acceptable.

But keep in mind based on his chastising a contestant for swearing in front of his (Ramsay’s) mother, Gordon Ramsay wouldn’t appreciate you swearing if you were in close proximity to his family.

Apparently Ramsay understands there is a time and place for everything, except when it comes to the American viewing public.

Bill Feb 11th 2009 3:20PM

I can under stand about the British chef falling on hard times> I lived in the U.K. in the early 70's. After the British Government taxes the poor citizens at approximately66% and to top that off a good portion of the chefs cann't cook anyway. What do they expect.

Jewel Staite Feb 11th 2009 5:02PM

Absolutely Rebecca Pidgeon and Gina D Torres..... whereas the term "Chef" was a measure of distinction at one time, the term is thrown around now so that any old Tom, Dick or Harriet could work as a "Soux Chef" and rebrand themselves as "Chef". Add into the mix Warhols "15 minutes of fame" into the mix, and you have a "celebrity" nobody with a third rate skill to match.

The issue of rebranding isn't restricted to cooks... I frequently meet "Executive Recruitment Consultants" (it is enbossed on their Business Card - so it must be true), who on the previous day were Telesales Clerks working for a mediocre High Street Employment Agency.

But, on the plus side, there is considerable demand for cooks who wish to train up in the fast food eatery business, and provided that Thompson can boil an egg or prepare some toast, he should find no problem getting fixed up with a job in the kitchen.

Jim Feb 11th 2009 4:41PM

All those fat chefs eat good,and they cook good. Gorden gives them hell,but when he leaves their resturants are running all the better. He treats them badly and in the end they love him.

Barb Feb 11th 2009 5:37PM

This year will be the time of serious change in the world as we have come to know it.Some have been riding the wave for some time.Linens and Things asked for it, having a debt of 800M.THey could never compete with BB&B.Many stores with repetitive mdse.will see their demise.Malls will close.Most are in trouble now.Good.I'm for downsizing and get these people who throw their weight around get come-uppings.Back to basics!

Stacey Feb 25th 2009 6:29AM

As far is Gordon Ramsey is concerned:

1 - People go after HIM to be on HIS show.
2 - They should know after watching several seasons of this show what they are getting themselves into.
3 - It is HIS name on the line when the winner is running HIS restaurant.

I don’t necessarily care for his language but I LOVE the fact that he doesn’t accept mediocrity. People now a days are so lazy. We need someone like him to bring us back to reality and quit allowing people to think they can get paid just for showing up.

Bottom line ---- you don’t like him, don’t watch! Period!

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