‘I echo the words of Rick Stein this week and all others in our hospitality business’

Mark Hix has confirmed ‘hard’ decision to appoint an administrator and close down his restaurants and HIX Townhouse which he says was done without his support.

He said: “I echo the words of Rick Stein this week,” stating that he and others in the hospitality business ‘have undoubtedly faced the toughest couple of weeks ever’. 

He added: “In our case, since we opened in 2008.”

In an Instagram post he explained that the decision ‘has made my team redundant without being able to take advantage of the Government furlough scheme’.

He said: “This was a Board decision, and I have to point out, done without my support. Although the press are using, and will use, my name as the responsible Director this was not my decision.

“Apart from tough times and sad times for me, it is nothing compared to what so many of my team, and others that are reliant on our business, are going through. Over time we have genuinely become a large family and to lose all of my team like this has been incredibly difficult and upsetting.

“One day, I will reopen in some way and I want to say a big thank you to all of my team, my suppliers and our guests who’ve been so supportive over the years and a huge thanks to those that have been in touch with their good wishes.”

The restaurants in the group are Tramshed, Hixter Bankside, Hix Oyster and Chop House, all in London, as well as Hix Oyster and Fish House, in Lyme Regis.

In December last year he confirmed he would be closing Hix Soho after ten years as he continued to downsize his London footprint. At the time the chef shared the news on his Instagram account, saying it was ‘a sad day’ but that he is doing so as a result of ‘challenging market conditions and rising rents’.

The chef has notoriously been vocal about these struggles - he previously said he wouldn’t be opening any more restaurants in the capital, citing excessive rent and operating costs.

Photo credit: @markehix