http://www.personneltoday.com/blogs/human-resources-guru/2009/02/tv-chef-tastes-defeat-as-resta.htmlThe credit crunch has finally succeeded where Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and other celebrity chefs have failed.
Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson, he of Ready Steady Cook and Saturday Kitchen fame, has been forced to close four of his restaurants after his business AWT Restaurants went into administration. As ever there is a human cost to this culinary crisis - 60 people have been made redundant.
Falling sales - fewer people eating out and even fewer eating Wozza's expensive grub - is partly to blame.
Is it any wonder these expensive eateries are struggling? Have you seen the number of staff they employ just to serve you lunch? One waiter to pour the water, another for the wine, one to bring your main course and someone else to clear plates.
Sack the majority of those and just get one poorly paid eastern European immigrant - the staple worker of the hospitality industry - to do all of that and you have already slashed your costs.
Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing has even admitted to going through his kitchen bins in an effort to reduce waste and save money.
Guru wonders whether the celeb chefs will go back to basics in a bid to attract the punters. Lunchtime specials - pie and a pint - for hard-pressed workers could be the way forward. Might upset the suits a bit but at least it will keep them in business.
