Edinburgh restaurant closes despite advice from Gordon Ramsay

A restaurant predicted to fail by Gordon Ramsay has closed three years after it opened.

The celebrity chef – who’s business Gordon Ramsay Holdings International posted a pre-tax loss of £4.3m this week – told Barry Larsen on Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares that he should concentrate on French restaurant Abstract in Inverness and not expand his business to Edinburgh.

Despite his own business woes, Ramsay’s advice was accurate and Abstract in Edinburgh closed at the end of 2009.

The restaurant’s owners told The Scotsman the recession had been to blame, adding that the move to Edinburgh had been the right decision.

A source told the paper that ignoring the advice had seemed like the right decision.

He said: “What happened after had nothing to do with opening three years ago. It was completely different. If I put myself back three years I would make the same decision again."

The source added that the restaurant had to close because it was not viable, but that he would continue to run the business in Inverness.

Gordon Ramsay Holdings International made £4m-plus loss in the year to August 2008 >>

Ramsay admits restaurants came close to collapse >>

Gordon Ramsay saves Plane Food restaurant >>

Read more news on Gordon Ramsay here >>

By James Stagg

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