Gino D'Acampo has 'set the record straight' after his restaurant chain My Pasta Bar went into liquidation. Watch here:
The Italian TV chef said he had returned from holiday to find a lot of 'cr*p' in the press about his business struggles.
Taking to Instagram, the 45-year-old admitted that My Pasta Bar had indeed gone into liquidation, but he was keen to highlight that this enterprise was completely separate from his restaurant business, which he said is 'thriving'.
Addressing his 1.4 million followers, he said: "We just came back from the island of Sardinia, I was there with a family, and when I got back I saw a lot of cr*p about my restaurant. Apparently, my restaurant are [sic] into liquidation.
"Now, I don't usually do stuff like this, but I thought, let me set the record straight here.
"About 10 years ago, I opened a business called Pasta Bar, which is serving Italian food very fast in the centre of London, three little shops.
"And we tried for 10 years, and then Covid came around and I thought, you know what, we had to close.
"There was no point to pursue with the idea, which, by the way, I absolutely love and I will continue with that with another business."
Gino is of course just one of countless restaurateurs across the globe to have been hit hard by the pandemic, with lockdown restrictions having a devastating impact upon the hospitality industry.
Fortunately for the This Morning regular his other businesses appear to have weathered the storm.
He continued: "So the Pasta Bar business has got nothing to do with my restaurant business, with my import business, or any other business that I do, it's a standalone business going into liquidation.
"We have to move on, this is what business is all about - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
"Now, let’s talk about the restaurant business, which is growing really, really well, so much so that this year alone, I'm going to be opening three mega sites and one I'm going to be opening in Italy!"
As well as opening a restaurant in his home country, Gino said he'd also achieved his dream of opening a restaurant in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
He said: "I've invested thousands and thousands of pounds into the restaurant, a brand new kitchen, everything all kitted out, and I'm going to be there on the 24 January to celebrate the opening of a new restaurant. And I hope to see you there, I can't wait.
"So Alderley Edge, brand new restaurant, so exciting.
"And guys, can I give you a suggestion? When you see something on the news, mainly, remember this - it's all cr*p."
Topics: Celebrity, Food And Drink, UK News, Business
Jake Massey