The food and the fury. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and his staff were eager to service diners at his new restaurant opening in London several weeks ago, when they realized that they were on the receiving end of a deliberate and cruel scheme concocted by a rival.
"Saturday was our first big day," Ramsay, 48, told British TV host Jonathan Ross of his newly opened Heddon Street Kitchen. "We had 140 on the books and we had 100 [not] show."
The Hell's Kitchen star claimed to Ross that it proved his competitors' "level of envy," though he did not disclose the identity of his suspected saboteur.
"Yep, sabotage," Ramsay said. "It's bad spirit, and you see the staff and they are down and frustrated. I was there to pick them up and make sure we stay focused."
Heddon Street Kitchen, Ramsay's 12th restaurant in London, boasts of a "modern European menu." To resolve any similar incidents in the future, Ramsay said his staff plans to "reconfirm every table."
Still, the often-acerbic chef wasn't going to let his industry enemies bring him down. On Tuesday, Ramsay posted a picture to his Instagram of the sun rising over Malibu, Calif. "Quick swim to start the day!" he wrote alongside the hashtag "#lovemalibu."
