Heston Blumenthal’s exclusive Fat Duck restaurant has been forced to close for two weeks after an outbreak of coronavirus among staff.
The illustrious restaurant, which has three Michelin stars and is in Bray, Berkshire, emailed diners to inform them of the closure after several staff members returned positive tests.
Mr Blumenthal’s £255-per-head flagship restaurant only reopened on August 15 after closing for several months because of the national lockdown.
It is thought to be the first Michelin-starred eatery to be forced to close following a Covid outbreak among staff.
The self-imposed ‘circuit breaker’ started on October 14 and will last for at least two weeks.
A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘These are hugely unprecedented and difficult times and since we reopened The Fat Duck in August, we have stringently followed all of the Government’s Covid safety advice and guidelines.
Heston Blumenthal’s exclusive Fat Duck restaurant has been forced to close for two weeks after an outbreak of coronavirus among staff. The illustrious restaurant, which has three Michelin stars and is in Bray, Berkshire, emailed diners to inform them of the closure after several staff members returned positive tests
‘As part of this, to continuously monitor the safety of our staff and our guests, we have been proactively testing our full team on a regular basis.
‘Unfortunately in the past few days, a number of employees have returned positive tests, which has resulted in them self-isolating at home.
‘At The Fat Duck we pride ourselves on providing the very best experience but more important is the wellbeing of our staff and guests which always comes first.
‘We have therefore decided to close the restaurant as of 14th October for the mandatory two-week self-isolation period. We have made this proactive decision which we hope will act as a circuit-breaker and ensure Covid-19 doesn’t spread to our other staff.
‘We want to be in front of the situation so we are working closely with the relevant organisations and local authorities and will continue to monitor the situation during these next two weeks, taking all the necessary steps to minimise risk to anyone else in the business.’
The experimental chef, author and TV presenter is well known for his outlandish dishes such as snail porridge and crab ice cream. He opened the restaurant in 1995 in a former 16th-Century inn. Although it also served a bistro menu, he soon made his mark with his taste for invention and multi-sensory cooking
The experimental chef, author and TV presenter is well known for his outlandish dishes such as snail porridge and crab ice cream.
He opened the restaurant in 1995 in a former 16th-Century inn. Although it also served a bistro menu, he soon made his mark with his taste for invention and multi-sensory cooking.
In late March, days before the national lockdown was announced, the Fat Duck came under criticism for not closing.
The restaurant even went as far as offering customers £75 off food if they booked a table before the end of April, despite Boris Johnson’s plea for people to avoid social contact.
It eventually closed, alongside the rest of the country, when the lockdown was announced.
The world-famous restaurant reopened in August.
Commenting on its reopening, a spokesperson said: ‘All government requirements have been fully adhered to since the re-opening of the restaurant on 15th August.
‘Stringent measures have been in place, including social distancing, daily temperature tests, table screens and PPE and as ever we work with Food Alert, operating with strict hygiene practices at the highest standards in our kitchens.’
Restaurants across the UK are facing a tough autumn as restrictions continue to be strengthened amid rising infection rates.
Currently, a 10pm curfew is in place across England, as is the rule of six limiting the size of a dining party.
However, from this week, new tiers of restrictions are also being introduced, limiting mixing between households.
Under tier two restrictions, people will be banned from meeting other households in restaurants in bars.
Under tier three rules, people must not meet anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor or outdoor setting.