Gordon Ramsey’s Family Feud

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey was in the British press quite often in the last few years but not in a way his publicity machine envisioned.

According to the Daily Mail, legal problems with father-in-law Chris Hutcheson led to Hutcheson’s firing as head of Gordon Ramsey Holdings (GRH). Hutcheson was an early investor in Ramsey. In 2000, he invested in Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, Ramsey’s first three-star restaurant.

Now Hucheson was accused of plundering £1.4 million from the organization, supposedly to keep up his expensive girlfriend habit. The restaurant staffs reported that he behaved like a tyrant, leading several highly regarded chefs to leave.

The legal problems bypassed mediation and headed straight to court. Gordon fired Hutcheson in October 2010. The entire affair, however, cost Ramsay more than £6 million and his wife’s family were in shambles, no one speaking to anyone else — lesson in the folly of mixing business with family.

Yet, despite the difficulties, the Daily Mail reports sales grew by £4 million to £46 million, leading to a profit of £2.5 million overall.

He told the Evening Standard in a statement: ‘The management team and I are committed to developing the group and we are excited that our performance in 2012 is shaping up to be our best to date.’

Stuart Gillies, the group’s managing director added: ‘This period has largely been one of strategic review and consolidation, which although has impacted the bottom line due the exceptional items, means the group is now in an excellent position to move forward.

On The Web:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2153756/Gordon-Ramsays-legal-dispute-father-law-costs-celebrity-chef-6-million.html

http://jonlang.com/gordon-ramsays-family-feud/