Gordon Ramsay plans to open up 200 new restaurants across the world and 50 eateries in the UK

Gordon Ramsay plans to open up 200 new restaurants in Asia to expand his empire across the world in the next five years.

The TV chef began reopening the first of his 35 restaurants in July after the business struggled during the coronavirus pandemic.

But now the father-of-five has unveiled new plans to extend his range of restaurants in contrast to industry competitors, including opening a further 50 sites in the UK. 

Ramsay, 53, revealed his plans in financial reports filed to Companies House last week.

The chef is has an estimated worth of £200million and his company Gordon Ramsay Holdings announced a pre-tax profit of £15.1million for the year to August 31, 2019.

His ambitions to ‘create a billion-dollar dining proposition’ are undented by the Covid-19 pandemic that has devastated much of the hospitality trade. 

Ramsay believes the restaurants will create around 2,000 jobs in the UK including some in head office.

‘We have big dreams, big plans and a global strategy so ambitious it takes my breath away,’ he said. ‘We have had to acknowledge and review the impact of the horrendous coronavirus pandemic. 

‘We continue to be optimistic and ambitious, knowing it is more important than ever before to invest in our industry, to support suppliers and to create jobs.’

Gordon Ramsay Holdings said: ‘GRNA (Gordon Ramsay North America) has exclusive rights to develop Gordon Ramsay branded restaurants in North America, Canada and the Caribbean where it has plans to open up to 200 restaurants as well as continuing to grow its very successful licence business with other partners.

‘The pandemic has had a significant impact on the group. 

‘It is difficult to estimate how the outbreak will impact trading and for how long and the directors consider this as a level of uncertainty over which they have no control.’ 

Brands in his stable include Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, the three Michelin-starred fine-dining flagship in Chelsea, and Petrus in Belgravia.

At the more modest end of the scale are Bread Street Kitchen, Heddon Street Kitchen, Union Street Cafe and Street Pizza.

At present, Ramsay’s restaurants are concentrated in London. He is expected to look at more openings in other cities such as Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as further outlets in the capital.

Despite the coronavirus, he intends to launch a new ‘Street Burger’ outlet this winter, which will be modelled on his £15 all-you-can-eat Street Pizza brand.

A second Hell’s Kitchen is opening in Dubai – the first is in Las Vegas – and a Pub and Grill is scheduled to open in Macau in the autumn. 

In May, The Sun reported Ramsay had taken out loans with Barclays against 16 companies, which includes those managing some of his Michelin star outlets.

The loans were intended to provide a lifeline to companies which manage some of the TV chef’s flagship eateries, such as London’s Savoy Grill and Petrus. 

Ramsay prompted outrage by reportedly using the government’s taxpayer funded furlough scheme to pay 500 workers sacked from his restaurants in March as the hospitality industry ground to a halt.

It is understood that some of the workers made redundant by Ramsay are being paid via the furlough scheme that is estimated to cost the government around £80bn of taxpayers’ money.

An email seen by the Sun On Sunday from Gordon Ramsay Restaurants’ HR Director Sarah Anderson to a London-based worker read: ‘Should you not wish to apply for a new role, you will remain on the furlough scheme for the duration of your notice.’

A source told The Sun: ‘The furlough scheme is called the job retention scheme – but that is not what he seems to be using it for. They are sacking people anyway.’

The same source went on to claim senior members of staff in Ramsay’s restaurants were being offered lower-paid jobs, including telling a supervisor to become a bartender. 

Alec Shelbrooke said there were questions over whether Ramsay had exploited taxpayers, adding: ‘It will have to be carefully looked at whether the scheme was used to increase the profits of the company.’

The lockdown led Ramsay to lay off 500 employees in March, with no guarantee their jobs would be safe in the future.

Chefs, waiters and other staff were called to a meeting and told their contracts were being terminated – rather than being furloughed on 80 per cent pay.

It triggered a wave of anger, including from chef Anca Torpuc who at the time branded the celebrity chef a ‘piece of ‘s***’ for his decision.

Ramsay has grabbed headlines throughout the lockdown after he had his wrist slapped for flouting lockdown rules.

The coastguard reportedly issued the father-of-five with an official warning after he was seen in Rock, Fowey, Port Isaac and Newquay – some distance from his lavish home.

Gordon Ramsay Holdings has been approached for comment.