One of London’s most famous department stores, Harrods, is parting ways with four of its star chefs as the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Tom Kerridge move on.
High profile partnerships with sushi master Masayoshi Takayama and pie king Calum Franklin are also coming to an end, with Harrods eyeing in-house dining options.
The luxury shop said Sushi by Masa, Kerridge’s Fish and Chips, and Calum Franklin at the Georgian, a traditional grill room and pie restaurant, will close by the end of August.
The latter, a launch that brought with it significant fanfare and media interest, might come as a surprise as it only opened last year.
Ramsay, meanwhile, whose restaurant group operates a branch of Gordon Ramsay Burger at the Knightsbridge store, is to see his name leave in January, drawing the curtains on £85 wagyu burgers and £55 lobster rolls.
Harrods said the changes follow a strategic review of customer preferences alongside differing industry trends. It is believed to now be looking at its own food and beverage concepts with new openings expected in the coming months.
One of its other high profile chef concepts, Studio Frantzen from the Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzen, closed in January after three years.
The likes of Takayama might have always been planning to call time on his venue at the Harrods Dining Hall, which was given a revamp in 2023 and which was when numerous big names were brought in.
The Japanese chef is to open a restaurant at the soon-to-open Chancery Rosewood in September, one of London’s most hotly anticipated new hospitality venues.
Despite the changes, Harrods will still be home to a number of outside chefs and brands. Pasta Evangelists and Knoya Ramen Bar, created by chef Neha Mishra in Dubai, will remain.
