London restaurateur and owner of Langan's Brasserie Richard Shepherd has denied rumours he is planning to sell up.
Recent media reports suggested that Shepherd had been offered £31m for his group of five London restaurants, which includes Shepherds in Westminster and Odin's in Marylebone.
Shepherd said: "The group is not for sale, but you should always keep an open mind - everything is for sale at the right price."
He confirmed he had rejected three offers for the group over the past six to nine months.
"This group is worth a substantial amount," said Shepherd. "It's easy to work out our asset value but the brand value is less quantifiable."
The Langan's group was started 27 years ago by Shepherd, who was Britain's first Michelin-starred chef, Peter Langan and actor Michael Caine.
- Shepherd is also expanding his partnership with P&O Ferries, taking the number of "floating" Langan's to 11. Two Langan's Brasseries have recently opened on cruise ferries Pride of Hull and Pride of Rotterdam and will be followed next month by openings on the Pride of York and Pride of Bruges.