After months of speculation over his next move, chef-restaurateur Gary Rhodes is to take over the site of Twenty Four, the fine-dining restaurant on the 24th floor of Tower 42 - also known as the NatWest Tower - the tallest building in the City of London.
The restaurant is expected to open with Rhodes in the kitchen at the end of August after a month's closure for refurbishment, and he is expected to continue cooking his trademark modern British cuisine.
Twenty Four is currently operated by Compass subsidiary Roux Fine Dining. Rhodes is understood to be in discussions with Restaurant Associates, another division of Compass, about the takeover.
Rhodes has now vacated his other two London restaurants, City Rhodes and Rhodes on the Square, which were operated in association with contract caterer Sodexho. His partnership with Sodexho is about to end by mutual agreement.
The new restaurant will open five days a week, serving lunch and dinner. Rhodes is expected to spend more time in the kitchen now that his Sodexho contract, which at one time included a site in Edinburgh, has been dissolved.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 22 - 28 May 2003