After four decades in the challenging world of hospitality, Gordon Ramsay has experienced both successes and failures.
Known for his hot temper in the kitchen and culinary skills, the 58-year-old chef has established over 50 restaurants throughout his career.
While some of his ventures have been highly praised, others have faced criticism, leading to closures and mixed, sometimes negative, reviews in both the UK and the US.
This week, it was reported that the Kensington High Street outlet of his Street Burger chain has closed amid a slew of poor reviews from angry diners.
Among them, unhappy customers complained of ‘bad taste, bad service, bad price and bad everything’, leading to an overall score of 3.5 (out of five) on TripAdvisor.
However, this is not the fiery foodie’s worst score on the site. Scoring an average of just three out of five is the chef’s Gordon Ramsay Street Burger branch in Edinburgh.
The eatery, which currently has 206 write-ups, has 55 five-star write-ups, 24 four-star, 40 three-star, 53 two-star, and 34 one-star reviews.
Opening in 2021, the restaurant, which marked Ramsay’s first eatery in the Scottish city, Street Burger offers a range of burgers, wings, ribs, desserts and both alcoholic and soft drinks.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (pictured) has enjoyed a number of misses – as well as many hits – during his long career in hospitality
Among the disappointed diners, one disappointed diner shared their opinion on the Edinburgh eatery in a September 2024 one-star write up titled: ‘A Kitchen Nightmare so bad we didn’t even get served!’.
They wrote: ‘After getting a table next to the kitchen , we started to appreciate the issues this restaurant has. Service is not existent. An actual Kitchen Nightmare.Â
‘We then watched a member of the kitchen staff get asked to leave , and had to speak loudly to be heard by each other over the chaos in the kitchen.’
They added that they had to re-order drinks after waiting for 20 minutes, after it transpired the machine needed to make their Coke floats was broken. In addition, claimed the reviewer, the chef left the kitchen, wearing trousers so low, that his posterior was visible to customers.
The write-up concluded: ‘After 26 minutes we walked out. No drinks no food so can’t comment on either but a thoroughly decent concept utterly ruined by incompetence. I’m a fan of Ramsey places and have eaten in many all over the world but this was an absolute shambles. I’m writing this from another restaurant.’Â
Another one-star review, simply titled ‘disappointing’, read: ‘I had the chicken burger and it was as tough as old boots! could hardly even cut it with my knife. The service was poor and waited ages for the food so very disappointed when it came. Overpriced for what you get. Won’t return.’
And another customer was left despondent enough to leave a one-star review which said: ‘Very disappointing service and food. There was a long wait between ordering online and the arrival of food/drinks although the restaurant was by no means full. I ordered the chicken and avocado burger which arrived with no chicken!Â
‘The food was sent back, and a new one prepared. Unfortunately, when eating this new burger there were bones in the chicken. Which was quite surprising. The burger itself was very sloppy and not well seasoned aside from the awful crispy cheese around the side which I couldn’t eat.’
A number of reviewers left one and two-star write-ups. The eatery’s average score is three out of five
Titled ‘pink chicken’, another one-star review said: ‘My child’s chicken burger was pink, unfortunately he’d eaten half of it before I noticed. The manager informed me that when the staff took it away they tested it and it was hot enough to be consumed. There’s no was the chicken temperature could be tested after it had sat on the plate for so long.Â
‘I can’t imagine if my child had gotten sick and I didn’t seek medical advice due to the lies of the manager saying they tested the temperature of the chicken. I should have been advised what symptoms to look out for not lied to saying it was safe. If the manager is willing to lie in this case what else is the place doing, please avoid.’Â
Giving the outlet a slightly more generous two-stars, another disgruntled diner described the restaurant as ‘overpriced’, writing: ‘It’s just like a five guys with Gordon Ramsays name slapped on it, very disappointing.
‘£13.50 for a Margarita served in the wrong glass with no salt on the rim! Do not waste your money.’
However, it should be noted that some diners left happy, leaving very positive reviews.
Among the 55 five-star write ups, one said: ‘Went for lunch and ended up having an incredible meal although a little spicy. Burger was delicious and excellent service from Denny. Keen to try out the other burgers, will be back next week.’Â
Another happy customer wrote: ‘Had a great meal and drinks. The service was excellent. In particular, Even and Becka were excellent. They made us feel super welcome.’Â
And a third added: ‘I don’t often go out to eat and I have never eaten at Gordon Ramseys resturaunts so recently I decided to give it a try. The food was great, thanks to our amazing server Simone. He was really helpful. The drinks are a little pricey, but most resturaunts are. Regardless, a great dinner! Would recommend.’Â
BEFORE: The Street Burger branch on Kensington High Street (pictured) has been shut down following a slew of poor reviews from disappointed diners
AFTER: The restaurant in west London has now been boarded up and it’s believed it will be replaced by a Burger & Lobster
Despite having a lower overall rating than the chef’s Kensington High Street burger outlet, the eatery is still listed as being open, and is included as one of the locations on the chain’s website (unlike the Kensington branch which has been removed from the site).
Ramsay operates a number of eateries, from his Street Burger and Street Pizza chains to fine-dining outlets.
According to the Gordon Ramsay Restaurants website, the group is ‘one of the largest privately-owned restaurant groups in the UK with 34 restaurants’.Â
It adds that it owns some 22 further eateries internationally, in countries including Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia, France, Dubai, Singapore and Thailand.
According to the site: ‘To date, Gordon Ramsay holds a total of 8 Michelin stars across the restaurants worldwide, including the flagship, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which has held three Michelin stars for more than 22 years.’
The chef recently expanded his culinary empire in the form of the 120-seat Lucky Cat on level 60 at 22 Bishopsgate (pictured) which serves dishes like soft shell crab maki and uni toast
Despite the recent Kensington High Street eatery closure, the chef does not appear to be slowing down when it comes to expanding his empire: earlier this month it was revealed that Ramsay was opening four new restaurants in the same building in London.Â
He opened the 120-seat Lucky Cat on level 60 at 22 Bishopsgate, serving dishes such as soft shell crab maki and uni toast.
Lucky Cat Bar, which is on the same level, has seating for 60 and offers the ‘Lucky Negroni’ and a martini menu with citrus, floral, and umami options.
And also on floor 60 is 12-seat chef’s table Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, an extension of Chelsea flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
Completing the collection just two levels down is The Gordon Ramsay Academy Powered By Hexclad with Bao buns and Beef Wellington.
Speaking about the new outlets, the celebrity chef said: ‘I’ve been lucky enough to open restaurants all over the world, but there’s something truly unique about London.
‘It’s where my journey began, and it’s the city I’m proud to call home. Watching it evolve into a global culinary powerhouse has been remarkable.
‘Building this beautiful space has been an ambitious project, but that’s exactly what makes Gordon Ramsay Restaurants so special – we never stop pushing boundaries.
‘I couldn’t be more excited to open three of our most iconic restaurants, all reimagined, taken to new heights, and built under one roof, it’s a dream come true and a major milestone for our business.’
MailOnline has contacted Gordon Ramsay’s press office for comment.Â
