Tom Kerridge's Chelsea pub and restaurant will serve its last customers this weekend just 18 months of trading.
The west London branch opened in December 2023, following the success of the first Butcher’s Tap & Grill in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, which was launched in 2017.
His flagship The Hand and Flowers, also based in Marlow, holds two Michelin stars. The nearby Coach pub has one Michelin star.
Kerridge also operates two other London sites: Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall, and Kerridge’s Fish & Chips at Harrods, Knightsbridge.
Occupying a two-storey Victorian property, which previously housed the Queen’s Head pub, The Butcher's Tap & Grill in Chelsea serves “British-centric” dishes such as gourmet burgers and hot dogs, as well as craft beers.
The Butcher's Tap & Grill is rated 4 stars on Tripadvisor. Customers have praised the venue for its cozy atmosphere and reasonable prices.
However, a spokesman for the diner revealed that rising costs and a decrease in demand led to Kerridge's decision to shut up shop.
They said: “The team has worked hard to make the concept work, but nothing is a given in the challenging climate hospitality businesses now face.
“Increasing costs demand a match in revenue and turnover that has not materialised at the site, providing an opportunity to regroup, rethink and rebuild.
“The group remains confident it can learn from the experiences in Chelsea and adapt to create something great.
“Tom and his colleagues are hugely appreciative of guests who have created brilliant memories since opening and an incredible team, whose future remains secure within the group in place for what’s next.”
Kerridge has previously warned of a “catastrophic” impact from Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ rise in employers’ National Insurance contributions announced in her October Budget, saying they would lead to a “huge amount of closures” in the hospitality sector.
In December, Kerridge — who was among 120 business figures who signed an open letter backing Labour at the last election — said that he faces additional costs of £850 a year for each of his 200 staff, approximately £170,000.
In an interview this week with The Standard, Mr Kerridge revealed the pressures facing his businesses amid high energy bills, steep rent costs and Labour’s tax raid on business.
“I understand what the government is trying to achieve, but from a business leader point of view, I look at it and think I’m not entirely sure this is the right way of doing it,” he said.
Margins are being eroded and chipped away
“Margins are already very fine. They’re being eroded and chipped away. And that doesn’t help the workforce at all. You’re not going to solve anything by losing jobs.
“I believe in building things – a country with a strong workforce. People who work have the opportunity to have a happy life.
“There are so many disadvantages to so many people, and I want as many people as possible to have opportunities.”
In 2024, more than 1,400 restaurant businesses in the UK entered insolvency, the highest level of closures in over a decade, according to chartered accountants Price Bailey.
