Ed’s Easy Diner, the US-style burger chain, has hit out at a report in the London Evening Standard that claimed it was in financial difficulty, labelling the article as “incredibly inaccurate”.

In an article on the London restaurants affected by the economic slowdown published yesterday, the Evening Standard suggested that Ed’s Easy Diner was “up for sale”. It illustrated the piece with a picture of the group’s Soho branch that was empty.

Caterer’s blog Kitchen Rat yesterday suggested the Evening Standard was “scaremongering” and in a response today, Tim Bennett, Ed's Diners operations director, agreed.

"All of the Ed's team were extremely shocked to have read the article, which implies that the business is in some sort of financial difficulty as a result of the economic downturn,” he wrote. “I would like to reassure our many customers that the business is in good shape and trading better than ever.

“The article implies that Ed's is up for sale because trade is suffering - this is incredibly inaccurate. We are keen to secure investment in the brand with a view to potentially open more sites.”

Bennett also pointed out that the picture showing an empty Ed’s was taken before the restaurant opened and that, while the reporter had not approached the company, it was claimed that Ed’s had “refused to comment”.

The offending Evening Standard article has since been removed from the newspaper’s website.

Kitchen Rat: Statement from Tim Bennett, Ed's Diners Operations Director >>

The Times report on Ed’s Easy Diner considering its finance options >>

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By Daniel Thomas

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