Reopening at Connaught put back by crunch

The reopening of one of London's oldest-established restaurants has been delayed for at least a year because of the economic downturn.

The Connaught Grill, which was to open as chef Hélène Darroze's third restaurant at The Connaught Hotel, has been delayed by at least a year.

Michelin-starred Darroze was to take control of all three hotel dining rooms - Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, Espelette, and the Connaught Grill - following a £70 million renovation.

The grill was to reopen last autumn but a spokeswoman for the hotel, in Mount Street, Mayfair, today confirmed the relaunch had been put back by the credit crunch.

"We have three hotels - Claridge's, The Connaught and The Berkeley - and we know the business well. Our hotels are busy, but of course we are not immune.

"We must have been too bullish when we made the announcement. The credit crunch was not even in our vocabulary at the time."

She insisted the grill would reopen, and suggested this autumn as a possible date. "The grill is part of the life of the hotel."

The Connaught Grill closed in September 2007 after chef Angela Hartnett resigned. It was reported her mentor Gordon Ramsay objected to her having to provide room service to guests at the hotel - a claim the hotel denies.

The setback for the Connaught mirrors difficulties across the service sector. New figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of visitors to Britain in the last quarter of 2008 was down five per cent compared with the previous quarter, and down 12 per cent year-on-year - despite the fall in the value of the pound.

Last week TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson closed four restaurants, making 60 workers redundant. Critically-acclaimed Soho restaurant Aaya went into administration last month.

Some of London's finest restaurants are also cutting prices to attract diners. Two Michelin-starred L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and single-starred Arbutus both now offer set lunches for less than £20 per head.