In an interview with the Montreal Gazette yesterday , owner Danny Levy said he would be removing the chef’s name from above the door because he has not visited the restaurant since it opened six months ago.
He told the newspaper Ramsay was ‘too busy’ to visit the 75-year-old neighbourhood restaurant which the chef had helped re-launch with a new look and new menu last summer .
“He didn’t have the time to manage it. He hasn’t been here since August,” Lavy told the publication.
“We wanted him to promote our business, but he wouldn’t even do Tout le Monde en Parle when he was here. Customers kept asking, where’s Gordon? We spoke to his assistant and to him often about coming back at least three times a year. Gordon was excited about the project, but he never showed up.”
Business support
However, in a statement, a spokesperson for Ramsay said the company was ‘surprised and saddened’ by the decision and hinted that the chef could return to the city in another capacity in the future.
“Gordon and his team have provided significant support to all levels of the business, above and beyond what was required by the agreement and we are rightfully proud to have contributed to its success to date,” she said.
"We have done far more than we were contractually obligated to and it is therefore extremely disappointing that Mr Lavy should behave in this manner. Gordon would like to thank all the citizens of Montreal for their overwhelming support and he hasn’t ruled out a possible return to the city in the future."
The 124-cover restaurant in the Montreal suburb of Outremont attracted a great deal of media attention when it was announced that Ramsay was coming on board last August.
As part of the consultancy Ramsay and his team helped refresh the menu, with plans to introduce some of the chef’s signature dishes to sit alongside more traditional dishes and enhance the restaurant, formerly known as Rotisserie Laurier BBQ.
