Wizards of Oz

Gordon Ramsay’s Aussie Restaurant Woes

The scarf insualtes against the haters.
The scarf insualtes against the haters. Photo: Getty Images

We don’t know whether Gordon Ramsay really is the world’s most scandal-afflicted chef, or it just seems that way because people enjoy seeing the standoffish toque get a little comeuppance. Whatever the case is, The Wall Street Journal’s Scene Asia blog brings news that Ramsay’s Melbourne restaurants Maze and Maze Grill — part of his international mini-chain of Maze restaurants — are in liquidation mode, even though they generated a ton of money and had gotten pretty good critical reviews. Not to mention the fact that the restaurants’ opening was attended by “Australian cricketing great Shane Warne.”

If the Maze staff is looking to continue working with a celebrity chef, they might do well to remember that David Chang is staffing up his soon-to-open Sydney Momofuku. This morning, Chang even tweeted some helpful professional tips for complaints about a stage at his restaurants: “bad kitchen stage = going to white collar job interview wearing robe, putting feet on the desk, lighting a smoke, taking a shit on a desk.”

Gordon Ramsay’s Australian Nightmare [Scene Asia/WSJ]
Related: Export Report: Checking In on Old Homestead, Balthazar, Momofuku

Gordon Ramsay’s Aussie Restaurant Woes