MasterChef winner abruptly shuts award-winning restaurant and tells fans ‘we just cannot make this work’

A TOP chef has announced the sudden closure of his Michelin-recommended restaurant, saying: “We just can’t make it”.

Simon Wood, 48, said his WOOD Manchester fine dining establishment went out of business as it faced non-payment of rent, mounting bills and rising grocery costs.

Simon Wood, 48, has been crowned the winner of Masterchef 2015 Credit: PA: Press Association

He confirmed the closure of his Michelin-recommended restaurant in a heartfelt post on social mediaCredit: SWNS

Simon on the set of Master Chef with two other contestants Credit: SWNS

Simon as a boy in chef’s white clothes holding two knives Credits: SWNS

In a defiant message to fans on Xu, formerly Twitter, the chef wrote: “Thank you everyone for the messages of support I’ve received today.

“Also, thanks to those who helped me when I was down, either with unnecessary words or deafening silence, I may be down but I’m not out, and I really appreciate the motivation.”

The father-of-four, from Saddleworth, Manchester, opened his eponymous bistro seven years ago, creating dishes using “seasonal, high-quality and foraged” produce.

Guests could expect to fork out £125 for his ‘Chef’s Selection Menu’ and wine flight – which included veal tenderloin and hand-dived scallops.

The restaurant’s website was still advertising its £60-a-head Christmas menu when Simon took to social media to say it was closing for good.

Writing in a Facebook post, he said: “Dear friends, customers and suppliers of WOOD Manchester.

“It is with great regret that I must inform you that I must close the doors here at WOOD for good, effective immediately.

“We’ve spent 7 years as part of Manchester City’s foodie scene and I’m very proud of what the team and I have achieved.

“Unfortunately, with our landlord now seeking rent arrears due to the COVID-19 illness and the increasingly difficult market, energy increases, ingredient costs and soon-to-be-rising business rates, we simply cannot do this.

“I would like to thank everyone for their support and patronage over the years.”

Simon was a data scientist for nearly 20 years before leaving his job to pursue a career in hospitality.

He became a professional chef at the age of 38 in 2015 when he won the amateur version of MasterChef.

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Simon then opened WOOD Manchester in 2017 and WoodKraft in Cheltenham in 2018.

WOOD Manchester received a Michelin recommendation in 2019 and won a double AA Rosette award.

Last year, Simon said acclaimed shows such as The Bear, which exposed the problems faced by many in the hospitality industry, gave chefs the respect they “deserved”.

He said: “I’ve seen all the things that happen in those shows at some point – even in the space of 40 minutes.

“People love the drama that comes with high-end hospitality and I think that’s all being shown in drama TV programs like The Bear and Boiling Point.

“In real life it can be just as intense.

“You have stressful moments where all the checks arrive at once or someone drops the sauce, burns the food and cuts their fingers.

“Mutual flare-ups [are realistic].

“Also, definitely the yelling, the cursing, the raw intensity, that you see in these programs, I mean, it’s all very real – It’s true to the life of a functional kitchen.”

Restaurant chains are still in trouble

The hospitality sector has struggled to recover from the pandemic, facing challenges including huge energy bills, inflation and staff shortages.

TRG, which owned Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito and Wagamama, revealed it would close around 40 sites by April 2024 and proceeded with the sale of its Frankie & Bennys and Chiquito brands to Cafe Rouge owner The Big Table Group.

Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will close the locations as part of major restructuring plans.

Stonegate has also sparked fears about its survival as it races to pay off its debts.

Earlier this year, Whitbread revealed plans to downsize the chain of branded restaurants across the UK.

Italian restaurant chain Prezzo has revealed plans to close 46 restaurants as early as April 2023 as a result of soaring energy and food costs, putting 810 jobs at risk.

And in January 2023, Byron Burger fell into administration, with the owners saying it would result in the loss of more than 200 jobs.

Why are retailers closing stores?

EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and often symbolize the decay of city centres.

The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are closing their doors.

In many cases, retailers are closing stores because they are no longer making the money they once were due to the rise of online shopping.

Falling store sales and rising staffing costs have made it more expensive to keep stores open. In some cases, retailers close shop and reopen a new store at the other end of the high street to show how the city has changed.

The problem is that when a big store closes, footsteps can be heard down the local high street, putting more stores at risk of closing.

Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers looking for easy, free parking at a time when local governments have increased parking fees in cities.

Many retailers, including Next and Marks & Spencer, are closing high street stores and taking on larger, better-performing retail park stores instead.

Boss Stuart Machin recently said sales in the area rose by 103 per cent when he moved the tired Chesterfield store to a new large store in a shopping park half a mile away.

In some cases, stores are closed when a retailer fails, such as Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name but a few.

What is increasingly common is when a chain fails, a rival retailer or private equity firm grabs the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.

They may open a few stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely that many stores or in the same locations.