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Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

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Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Alexandria » Mon Apr 02, 2018 9:14 am

Good Morning, :wave :wave

I had read in one of the Hotel Lobby Magazines, that Multi Michelin Chef Ramsey had closed almost all of his restaurants in the Usa ..

From my viewpoint amongst others in the industry, it is most challenging to own a restaurant(s) outside of the city in which one resides ..

Have you read anything on topic ?

Have a lovely day .. :wave :wave :wave
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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Gillthepainter » Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:57 am

My husband was reading a finance article about this. Looking at the balance sheets that don't make sense.
Rambo is a victim of not being able to negotiate a reasonable contract. His finance director is a family member. His FIL.
Who paid top whack for their premises. Unbelievably high rates. Unnegotiated.
And when they run into difficulty, they cannot barter their rates down. They say to their landlord OK, we'll leave. And the landlord says fine. I'll find someone else at that rate.

The owner of Wetherspoons tears his hair out, as it inflates area prices for him.
But he just walks away from it. It isn't good business.

There are a few chef chains that do this, but Rambo is super guilty of it. Using family members who effectively don't know what they are doing.
Jamie Oliver did it here in Cheltenham too.
I think his restaurant lasted 1yr.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:24 am

Here's an interesting article about UK restaurants, with some suggestions as to why they might close despite apparent success.

Mind you , if Ramsay's US restaurants are closing, there's no excuse considering the amount oif Stateside TV coverage he gets, with Hell's Kitchen in its 17th series and Masterchef USA in its 9th series, and a whole host of other TV programmes he's fronted.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... struggling

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Alexandria » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:34 am

Sakkarin, :thumbsup

Thank you for the article link and have a lovely day ..

:wave :wave
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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Alexandria » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:39 am

Gilt The Painter, :thumbsup

I agree if the hired in any professional field are not properly trained and do not know what they are doing, this could spell big big trouble for an entreprenneur ..

Lease of properties and any type of contract are always negotiated world wide, so this is truly disasterous ..

He is quite an amazing Chef, however, I do believe he has bitten off more than he can chew with all his projects, restaurants, authored works and tv programming / interviewing and training of staff.

:wave :wave Have a lovely day and Thank you for all your feedback ..
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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Gillthepainter » Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:43 am

Strada was flogging off their furniture and contents a couple of months ago on the pavement.
Tables = £4.

I was so tempted, but dark brown put me off. Even at £4.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:07 pm

The other side of the coin is because there are so many restaurants people don't take them seriously
Big hoo-ha on Twitter because one restaurant (Brunswick House near Vauxhall) had over 40 no-shows for Mothering Sunday lunch - these are people with confirmed bookings who just didn't arrive. He'd turned away regulars who'd called on the off-chance of a cancellation. Wasted food, and low takings on what should be a real bonus day for a restaurant like that (up market but quite relaxed)

Not fair on the restaurateur
I am punctilious about changing bookings, when my group booking for Yalla Yalla went down from 12 to 10 I emailed them at once, they said it didn't matter but thanks, though in fact it saved them from moving some furniture unnecessarily

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Gillthepainter » Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:56 pm

In a similar vein, but not the same, Sue. But about booking.
I feel online booking must be damaging to restaurants. I can rarely get a table to be honest online.

I'm very much a telephone the establishment. I have more chance of success. eg La Gavroche, not chance of a table everyone told me, don't embarrass yourself.
But I phoned them anyway, and got a 9pm offering.

In Liverpool, I could not book a table for toffee at most places online, which was odd, as it was cold, and out of season when we visited.
Phoned my first choice, and got in.
When we were there, half the place was empty.


What's that online booking all about?

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Joanbunting » Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:29 pm

Gill I feel exactly the same both about restaurant and hotel bookings. I have always got a better deal, or a table by phoning. For example , while booking a hotel for May in London I got a deal which was cheaper by over 200 on the phone than I had managed to find on line. Call me old fashioned but I think someone who takes the trouble to phone seems more serious about their intention of keeping to it.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:01 pm

I completely disagree about online bookings for "routine" restaurant boookings
I did call Yalla Yalla as it was a large party, but the new booking systems such as the one used by Darjeeling Express which I booked last week for Saturday I have never had a problem with it
If there is a problem, or any lack of clarity, they phone me when not busy with service

Hotels I do often do better on the phone

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby miss mouse » Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:38 pm

I think someone who takes the trouble to phone seems more serious about their intention of keeping to it.


or is the better rate for direct booking a result of the commission which has to be paid to the on-line service plus the hotel probably offers a limited selection of rooms via the on-line service.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Apr 02, 2018 6:13 pm

I spoke to a local takeaway owner the other day, who he said that the "Online delivery companies" charge him 30% commission. He is obliged to stick with it to keep in line with his competitors, but depends on phone and "in person" trade to remain afloat. Thirty percent! It must be soul destroying.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Apr 02, 2018 6:52 pm

There's a big difference between booking a takeaway through third party systems such as Deliveroo or Hungry House and booking a table directly through the restaurant's own website or a reputable system such as Opentable or Bookatable, IMO
One of the things I like is being able to use it at any time of the day, and not wait until there is someone to answer the phone, at which point I usually find they don't speak English, I really have got fed up with shouting at non-Anglophone waiters over a background noise of service in progress. Three clicks, proof read, submit, then check the reply. Easy, stress free
Hotels are a bit different, more variables

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Alexandria » Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:05 am

As professionals in the travel industry, we email the establishment directly and / or telephone .. :thumbsup

We find that this works better for us .. :wave
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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Gillthepainter » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:14 am

In relation to Rambo, if customers don't get a healthy reflection of availability online, they will stop trying. I do.
You need bums on seats to survive.

So the takeaway online system suffers in the same way, does it, Sakkarin.

Joan, not old fashioned at all.
Although I do prefer online booking, but not when it isn't smooth.

Most recent example. My painting friend needed a restaurant near Kew, at the beginning of the month. My having lived there, she wanted a recommendation.
Tried to book it online, totally full, offering 3 days either side (which is useless).
I told her to phone - read out the telephone number. And via her swanky iphone in "person" the restaurant manager reeled off several available times in succession.

Plenty there.

Picking up the phone doesn't always works. But regularly does.


Hotels tell us not to use booking.com, but to call direct for a price match next time.
I think that's the commission causing them angst Miss Mouse.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Alexandria » Thu Apr 05, 2018 12:11 am

Gilt Painter, :wave :wave

We always check www.booking.com and check with the hotel directly also ..

This way we can see the Price difference which is usually a wise idea .. And it has proven to be a bit cheaper too ..

Though we do like the customer service of booking very much .. :lol:
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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Apr 05, 2018 9:12 am

When I used to travel about a decade ago, I used venere on the Continent.
But it was bought up long ago by booking.com.

Very very occasionally I get a better price direct with the hotel. I always check.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:45 am

That Kew business is worrying because it means that one of their systems doesn't work. Sounds like the perfect recipe for double bookings.

Maybe there's a different explanation, perhaps they allot a particular block/percentage of tables to online sales, to allow themselves a little flexibility.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby Gillthepainter » Fri Apr 06, 2018 8:11 am

Seems like a logical explanation, Sakkers.
Or they can afford to run at less than X% occupancy, and run at a reduced capacity.

Till you phone up, which might be considered walk ins.

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Re: Gordon Ramsey Closed More Usa Restaurants

Postby QinNortham » Fri Apr 06, 2018 10:47 am

Gill, please give me a clue which restaurant in or around Kew?

Sakks, will post the French Pork Pie recipe on the appropriate thread.

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