He has shamed, f-bombed, and advised dozens of restaurant owners on how to turn their businesses around and become profitable, but successful celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey is facing a wee spot of financial crisis with his own posh eateries.
It's a triple threat of the taxman, the bad economy, rumors of infidelity, and overexposure of too many TV shows (wait, that's four...) that threatening his empire of 25 restaurants around the world.
Bookings at his flagship restaurant in London, Foxtrot Oscar, have slumped and it is now open only 5 days a week and closed for the other two. The New York Post has a report that Ramsey is putting his other two London restaurants up for sale.
In addition, the 42-year-old star of "Hell's Kitchen," "The F Word," and "Kitchen Confidential," owes two years of back taxes, and has been fighting rumors that he's been unfaithful to his wife, Tana.
The chef claims "the other woman" had “completely made [it] up .. to make some money” by selling the story to the newspapers.
Well, actually there are two other women who accuse Ramsey has a roving eye - British professional mistress Sarah Symonds and an Australian named Julie Vidovic.
But back in the kitchen, a former manager, David Ratcliffe, dishes up more criticism and abuse by hissing that Ramsey is more interested in being on TV than cooking at his restaurants - and that morale among his chefs and wait staff has plummeted.
Ratcliffe, who once managed Ramsay's Banquette at the Savoy, said: "Gordon wants to take over the world with his restaurants and it has become an obsession to open more and more. The brand has become devalued because he has expanded too fast.
"There are only so many Gordon Ramsay restaurants you can open before it becomes boring for customers, rather than special."
Ramsey's empire makes about £100m a year so it remains to be seen how bad it will get for the passionate f-bombing chef.
