Gordon Ramsay and Tom Kerridge are to be dropped by Harrods as the Knightsbridge department store reverses its policy of recruiting celeb chefs to give its restaurants star appeal.
The clear-out begins this Saturday with the closure of Sushi by Masa, from New York-based Masayoshi Takayama, with Kerridge’s Fish & Chips frying until the end of August and Gordon Ramsay Burger lingering until 11 January next year. Also closing on 31 August is Calum Franklin at The Georgian, which was launched late last year in s blaze of publicity.
Superstar Swedish chef Björn Frantzén ended his tenure at Harrods at the end of last year, while London-based Jason Atherton departed last month after four years.
Harrods issued a statement saying it was in the process of “rebalancing its F&B offering in store to be led by Harrods-owned restaurant concepts offering all-day dining options for customers“, following a strategic review and reflecting the current trend toward dining earlier in the evening.
Harrods’ managing director Michael Ward said: “As part of Harrods’ considered customer approach, we took the decision a number of months ago to review feedback and data to ensure our in-store experience is delivering against customers’ evolving preferences. Harrods has a rich history of serving the finest food and drink and we are constantly progressing our dining offerings. We’d like to thank all the fantastic chefs that we have been very privileged to work with over the last few years for their partnership. Together we have served many thousands of diners from shoppers to families and friends celebrating special moments in our restaurants. We are currently investing in a number of new developments across both our retail and F&B offerings within store and look forward to welcoming our customers into these in the near future.”
The drive to promote Harrods as a destination for eating as much as shopping was masterminded by its former director of restaurants and kitchens, Ashley Saxton, and in 2023 the store said its restaurant trade had increased by 44 per cent in four years.
Ashley departed two months ago, saying: “Together we have taken Harrods from an unknown restaurant entity to the biggest single site food and beverage operation in Europe. Harrods is now and forever will be an authority in hospitality.”
Fans of Sushi Masa will not have to forego their sushi fix for long: Masayoshi is set to open Tobi Masa at the new Chancery Rosewood hotel in the former US Embassy in Mayfair next month.