News

MasterChef winner shuts Manchester restaurant

03 October 2024 By Louis Thomas

Simon Wood has announced the closure of Wood, his flagship restaurant in Manchester, citing rent arrears and “an increasingly difficult marketplace” among the factors.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simon Wood (@simonjwooduk)

Wood, who won the 2015 edition of televised cooking competition MasterChef, opened Wood Manchester in 2017.

Visiting in 2018, The Guardian‘s Grace Dent noted that there was “a lot to love at Wood”, noting that the “portions verge on the hearty” and that the service was “bright and adorable”.

However, between then and now, the hospitality industry has been plunged into crisis, with the Covid-19 pandemic pushing many businesses to the brink.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Wood revealed the reasoning behind the closure:

“Dear friends, customers and suppliers of Wood Manchester. It is with much regret that I have to inform you that I must close the doors here at Wood for good, with immediate effect.

We have had seven years as part of the Manchester city dining scene and I’m very proud of what the team and I have achieved.

Sadly with Covid rent arrears now being demanded by our landlord and an increasingly difficult marketplace, energy increases, ingredient costs and soon to be spiralling business rates we just cannot make this work.

I’d like to thank everyone for your support and patronage over the years.”

The announcement comes just days after Wood posted on social media about a group that did not turn up for their chef’s table reservation at the restaurant:

An Actual image of my Chefs table at 8pm last night

I’d like to say a huge thanks to the Table of 5 that no showed, not even a phone call or a courtesy so I could try and resell the table

What a way support a small business

Much appreciated

You T#%t$ pic.twitter.com/ze72jftQQi

— Simon Wood (@SimonJWoodUK) September 29, 2024