Gordon Ramsay has been accused of running Los Angeles restaurant The Fat Cow as a ‘dictatorship’ - before shutting it down and re-opening under a different name, according to the Daily Mail.
Rowen Seibel, Ramsay’s business partner, claims in a New York civil suit that the high-profile chef made business decisions and ruled the burger joint with an iron fist, mimicking his demanding persona on the TV series Hell’s Kitchen.
Seibel claims Ramsay “secretly shut down” The Fat Cow last month before re-opening on his own under the name GR Roast, in a $10.8m suit, which has been described by Ramsay’s people as “ridiculous”.
A spokesman for Ramsay told MailOnline: “We’re surprised that Mr Seibel has the audacity to file this ridiculous suit when he and his team were responsible for the day to day running of The Fat Cow and spectacularly mismanaged it resulting in a string of financial and legal issues.
“Gordon Ramsay and his team immediately stepped in and tried to resolve these issues, but Seibel refused to engage in any meaningful conversations, rendering the restaurant unsustainable. Throughout, Ramsay was very forthcoming with Seibel that any future plan for another restaurant partnership in Los Angeles was impossible due to Seibel’s refusal to operate and fund the restaurant properly, sadly including Seibel diverting funds from the business.”
