Gordon Ramsay Says Lockdown Got Rid Of All The 'Crap' Restaurants

Gordon Ramsay has said the pandemic got rid of all the 'crap' restaurants.

The TV chef has opened up about the impact lockdown had on the hospitality industry over the last two years.

Since restrictions were imposed back in March 2020, a whole host of independents and chains like Zizzi, Pizza Express and Cafe Rouge have been forced to close countless restaurants.

But the 55-year-old says it's provided a good opportunity 'wipe the slate clean' of the 's**tholes' that once filled the streets.

Speaking to the former shadow chancellor Ed Balls in Radio Times, Ramsay said: "The business was on its arse, but it’s getting better… It’s been devastating the last two years.

"Landlords don’t say, 'Take a holiday for two years'. But I think what has been evident for all of us is the crap’s gone."

When asked if he was referencing specific companies or chains, the Kitchen Nightmares presenter said: "Well, just s**tholes in a prime position and taking advantage because they’re in a great location, and they’ve got the footfall.

"But now we’ve wiped the slate clean, which is good.

"Customers have got so much smarter in the last two years. They know a lot more about food than they ever have done and have been making their own sourdough, so it’s taught everyone [in the restaurant industry] to raise their game… It’s wiped the arrogance from the industry."

Ramsay even took the opportunity to address the controversy over he and his family staying at their home in Cornwall during lockdown.

"We got there at an appropriate time and had an absolutely amazing time," he said. "And a time like that – we’ll never get back again.

"When the kids started disappearing again, I didn’t want it to end – as a dad, not a chef."

Ramsay recently came in for some flack over his 'extortionately' priced fish and chips.

He was slammed for charging a whopping £24.50 for fish and an extra £7 for chips at his new restaurant.

On the menu at his River Restaurant at The Savoy hotel in London, you will get a 'cider-battered gurnard, minted peas, warm tartar sauce' and 'Koffmann's fries, bonito salt' for that extortionate sum.

The Michelin star chef posted a pic of the fish dish on his social media and viewers weren't best pleased.

One user wrote: "£25 for that fish!! Rip off, I could eat for a week for that."

A second added: "Wouldn't fill up a sparrow. 

"One nibble and it's gone."

While a third joked: "'And that will be $8,739, cash or card'."

Finally, a fourth user slammed: "That looks absolutely rubbish. 

"Chucking a massive wedge of lemon in front of it doesn't improve it."