Rick Stein ‘nearly lost business’ due to Covid pandemic

Cornwall’s most famous chef Rick Stein has admitted ‘we nearly lost the whole business’ during the Covid pandemic last year.

The chef and TV presenter, 74, who runs his restaurant empire from Padstow and employed 600 people at the time, was on the brink of bankruptcy.

He splits his time between Australia, where he lives with second wife Sarah, and Cornwall.

Cornwall’s most famous chef Rick Stein has admitted ‘we nearly lost the whole business’ during the Covid pandemic last year

In March 2020 he found himself on Zoom calls from the other side of the world as the future of his businesses hung in the balance.

Speaking to The Times,  he said: ‘It was very scary and we nearly lost the whole business.

‘And it’s certainly not just my work we’re talking about – Jill [Rick’s ex-wife and business partner] and the children have put so much into it too. Not being there was horrible.’

While most of the Stein businesses survived the financial impact of the pandemic, there were two losses – his signature restaurants in Porthleven and Falmouth.

The family’s empire has been buoyed by furlough and the success of the Stein’s At Home seafood meal boxes.

The business has already reported 30,000 bookings at its restaurants for the summer ahead.

The chef and TV presenter, 74, who runs his restaurant empire from Padstow and employed 600 people at the time, was on the brink of bankruptcy

Rick added: ‘It would have broken my heart to lose it all. So yes, I am very grateful to be coming through it.’

He opened The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow in 1975 which operates as the flagship eatery, and he also has restaurants in Barnes, Sandbanks, Winchester and Falmouth.

Since then has launched a bistro, cafe, fish and chip shop, bar, fishmongers and cookery school in the seaside town.

At the start of lockdown, Rick was condemned when he shut up shop and stopped paying his staff, claiming his restaurant empire was on the brink.

The family’s empire has been buoyed by furlough and the success of the Stein’s At Home seafood meal boxes

The multi-millionaire chef’s managing director Ian Fitzgerald told his 600 staff: ‘It remains a challenging time for everyone as we come to terms with the implications and repercussions of the coronavirus crisis.

‘Sadly, with less customers expected in the future, it is likely that we will need to employ fewer people.

‘Ongoing discussions with the bank and our landlords have not yielded sufficient progress and therefore we are having to sadly look at the viability of a small number of operational sites which includes consulting with Porthleven, Falmouth and Marlborough.’

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