Trendy London restaurant and bar Ché, in St James's, has been bought by Steamroller Restaurants, owner of Hush restaurant, for an undisclosed sum.
Ché ceased trading at the beginning of this month, although its former owner, the Plaza Group, which also owns Cecconi's restaurant in London, refused to confirm the sale.
Ché's head chef, Stephen Carter, first heard of the closure from suppliers. "I was shocked at first, particularly by the way that we found out about it. But I have a positive view of the future," he said.
Carter, who headed-up a 10-strong kitchen brigade at the restaurant, said he had found new jobs for 90% of his staff. He is now looking to open a restaurant of his own and has already viewed prospective sites.
Steamroller Restaurants is owned by Geoffrey Moore (son of actor Roger Moore) and his business partner, Jamie Barber. A spokeswoman for Steamroller confirmed that it had bought Ché but would not comment on the future of the restaurant.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 22 - 28 May 2003