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Gordon Ramsay's restaurant empire has cut nearly 200 jobs after recording a loss of £13.2 million last year. The latest accounts for the chef's firm Gordon Ramsay Restaurants revealed his businesses employed 1,168 staff in 2024, down from 1,344 in 2023. Last year saw Ramsay cut the highest number of roles since the pandemic, when staff numbers fell by 292. The vast majority of the roles lost in 2024 were in the restaurants themselves. It comes after the chef said he would be slashing front-of-house staff in his casual dining venues due to rising costs and changes in customer expectations. He told The Evening Standard: 'The generation now don't want to talk and order.' The firm has blamed a 'persistently challenging and macroeconomic environment' and pointed to higher energy and wage costs as factors behind its poor economic outlook. Factors behind this are thought to include measures brought in at Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget last year, which saw employers' National Insurance rates and the minimum wage rise. It's been estimated by industry body UKHospitality that the last Budget brought £3.4 billion of extra costs on hospitality venues including restaurants. Some 70 percent said they were planning on cutting roles as a result. It's not just in Ramsay's high street chains which are paying the price. In his fine dining outlets too, the outlook is grim. So much so that diners will pay an extra £35 compared to 2023 for Christmas dinner at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Petrus, this year - taking the total to a huge £325 per person. And the outlook for Ramsay's restaurant chains have led to Harrods cutting ties with the chef, while his Gordon Ramsay Burger chain, which sells £85 wagyu beef burgers, will close on Jan 11. Ramsay's restaurant group saw revenues rise from £95.6m to £133.9m in 2024, but this was not enough to prevent massive losses. Despite this the chef is planning to launch in Spain, Saudi Arabia and India, with a branch expected to open in Riyadh later this year. He already has international venues in countries including South Korea, Thailand and China, and has also partnered to provide luxury catering for Formula 1. He also plans to open a new Bread Street Kitchen & Bar in Bishopsgate, City of London, in the first half of 2026. Despite the heavy losses, Ramsay's restaurants make up just one aspect of his business portfolio. His television production company behind shows including Gordon's Food Stars and Next Level Chef, made a £7.1 million profit last year from revenues of £60.6 million. Andy Wenlock, chief executive of Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, said: 'As an ambitious business, we will continue expanding our popular brands across the UK and globally, in particular via the franchise market in the USA for our quick service brands – Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, Street Pizza, and Street Burger. 'While the economic backdrop features some uncertainty and challenge, we are unafraid to be entrepreneurial.
