Gordon Ramsay Just Canceled This Opening Of His Lucky Cat Restaurant

A report by the The Washington Post says that it was well-known that Nixon had an enemies list. That list was likely not quite as long as Gordon Ramsay's since the tantrum-throwing chef seems to make a hobby out of making people dislike him. Ramsay's notable feuds are well-known, and when he runs out of real people he gets on social media, where users can brew up Twitter drama about The Cheesecake Factory.

In his latest attempt to infuriate people, Ramsay had previously announced that he would be opening a branch of his Lucky Cat restaurant in the London neighborhood of Shoreditch. While opening a restaurant normally wouldn't be a way to pick a fight, Lucky Cat has already caused controversy. Forbes says that the original Lucky Cat opened in Mayfair London in 2019, and when it did, was savagely attacked in the press.

The Guardian reports that a review of the Lucky Cat caused a media tussle to erupt regarding the restaurant. Angela Hui, writing for Eater London, claimed that her experience of the restaurant had offensive themes. On Instagram she wrote, "Japanese? Chinese? It's all Asian, who cares," about her experience at Lucky Cat. This led to a backlash from Ramsay, who The Guardian says called Hui's review, "personal and hugely disrespectful."

With this ugly review and public fight surrounding Lucky Cat, the opening of one in Shoreditch promised to cause more issues. Then, the opening was canceled.

Say what you will about Gordon Ramsay, he's a showman. He might not have Oprah's charisma, but when Ramsay is on the screen, he's nigh impossible to ignore. In knowing how to work an audience, he also knows how to leave one wanting more. Back in June of 2022, Ramsay announced he would be opening his latest "Asian eating house" in Shoreditch. This caused multiple reports, such as this one from Eater London, to create fear that he would actually do it.

It now seems that the whole threat of a new Lucky Cat was little more than publicity without much substance behind the smoke and mirrors. A fresh follow-up report from Eater offers information that as of August, a scant two months after the June announcement of the restaurant, all funding was pulled for the projected location. Though some moves had been made to secure the space, it had died on the vine.

No reason was given for the cancellation, and there was no announcement earlier of the dissolution of the plans for Lucky Cat, Shoreditch. For now, it's yet another scandal for Gordon Ramsay.