Gordon Ramsay Claridge’s contract not renewed

Gordon Ramsay will not have his contract renewed at a restaurant at Claridge’s hotel in London which he has run since 2001.

The current lease for the Mayfair restaurant expires on 30 June. Claridge’s failed to renew the Scottish chef’s ten-year lease when it expired in 2011, instead taking the decision to extend his contract by only one year. This was later extended by a further nine-month period, which finishes in the summer.

A representative for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said in a statement: “We have taken the decision to close Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s in June 2013 following a fantastic collaboration over the last 12 years.”

According to the statement, the group are now looking at other sites in Mayfair.

A spokeswoman for Claridge’s stressed the decision to end Ramsey’s tenure was made by both parties.

She said: “It’s not that he’s ended [the contract], we’ve all agreed to terminate the contract.”

The future of the restaurant has looked uncertain in recent years, with the business suffering since the loss of its Michelin star rating in 2010.

In 2011, Ramsay was reported to have been “put on probation” after a 6.3 per cent fall in reservations.

Staff at the restaurant and head chef Luke Rayment, who took over from predecessor Steve Allen in January 2012 and previously worked at Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, were told of the decision yesterday morning.