CELEBRITY chef Rick Stein will permanently shut his coffee shop after his restaurant empire suffered a huge slump.
This comes just days after it was reported his Grade II-listed restaurant is set to go under.
Celebrity chef Rick Stein has faced another blow to his business empire[/caption]
A spokesperson for the group has confirmed that he has shut his coffee shop[/caption]
Rick Stein, 78, has presented many cookery shows on the BBC, UKTV and ITV over the years.
Over his career spanning five decades, he has run high-profile restaurants and hotels across the UK.
Locations for his establishments have included towns such as Marlborough, Winchester and Sandbanks in Dorset.
He has run his successful restaurant group with his ex-wife Jill Newstead and his three sons Jack, Charlie and Ed.
However, revenues across his business – which also include his shops, cookery school, and online presence – tumbled last year.
Many of the Food Stories star’s nine UK restaurants are located in Cornwall.
Now his cafe and coffee shop in Padstow, Cornwall has been forced to shut permanently.
He took the unexpected decision in an effort to streamline his business as he looks to slim down operating costs.
A spokesman for the Rick Stein Group told Cornwall Live: “We can confirm that we have permanently closed our small coffee shop with the three-strong team offered alternative positions with the business.”
Although he will still have a presence nearby with another establishment.
The representative added: “Rick Stein’s Michelin Bib Gourmand Café remains firmly open serving the same coffee from Cornish roasters, Origin Coffee, alongside a lunch and dinner menu featuring dishes inspired by Rick’s travels and passion for fresh, simple ingredients, many of them sourced locally.”
In a previous interview, Rick hit out at the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves and her decision for a tax raid in the budget.
He fumed: “Because the economy is not looking too good, people aren’t going out as much.
“So the one thing you don’t want to do is impose a heavy tax on the sorts of industries that are actually producing stuff.”
What does this Spring Statement mean for Rachel Reeves?
By Ryan Sabey, Deputy Political Editor
RACHEL Reeves is trying shift any blame away from herself and the Labour government as it grapples with the sluggish economy.
The Chancellor is telling MPs that the “world had changed” meaning she has to take drastic action when it comes to spending and welfare.
The trouble for Ms Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer is that they put growth as their “number one” mission and that, to put it mildly, is stalling.
The independent watchdog say growth forecasts has halved for this year and the financial headroom wiped out – hence the savings to be made elsewhere.
But for Ms Reeves all this puts her in a very tight spot insisting she will stick to her iron clad rules – with her looking to find up to £15 billion of savings.
The Tories and commentators are aiming their fire over how she hasn’t helped herself as growth has fallen.
They point out that she was the person who decided to go on a £40 billion tax raid at October’s Budget – with £25 billion of it falling on the shoulders of business.
The upcoming Donald Trump-led tariff war could easily throw the government off course again unless a limited trade deal can be struck.
Rachel Reeves will be pushing every leaver possible to get that over the line before it kicks in next week to give her some breathing space.
But we could be back at square one come the autumn with the Budget to balance the books – with speculation there could be tax rises and Whitehall departments scratching around for more savings.
The Sun has contacted representatives for Mr Stein for comment.
Wiltshire woes
This comes as his location in Marlborough, Wiltshire could also be set to face the chop.
The chain revealed that it’s consulting with its team about a permanent closure, but hopes that it can avoid shutting down.
A spokesperson for Rick Stein Marlborough told Gazette and Herald: “We can confirm that we are proposing the closure of our Marlborough restaurant and are consulting with the team to explore whether this can be avoided.
“Our other restaurants and rooms continue to trade well, but this particular site has not delivered the same level of return.”
The one thing you don’t want to do is impose a heavy tax on the sorts of industries that are actually producing stuff
Rick Stein
The Marlborough eatery first opened in 2016, and is housed in the famous Grade II listed, Lloran House.
Some of Mr Stein’s most well-known dishes are served at the restaurent such as Dover sole a la meunière and turbot hollandaise.
It was previously saved from closure five years ago in 2020 after the landlord offered a reduction in rent.
He has redeployed the staff to another cafe branch nearby[/caption]
Mr Stein previously hit out at Chancellor Rachel Reeves[/caption]
This comes as he has proposed to shut his prestigious restaurant in Malborough[/caption]
