Renowned chef Sat Bains has estimated that the closure of his two Michelin-starred restaurant due to nearby flooding has cost the business £50,000.
Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms has been forced to shut its doors today and tomorrow, with the chef hoping to reopen this Friday. The unexpected closure is due to nearby flooding, in which up to four feet of water has flooded the access road to his Nottingham restaurant.
Although the restaurant will be able to reopen once the water has dried up, Bains has already reported a financial loss to the business thanks to cancelled bookings and deliveries. Speaking to The Caterer, he revealed that he has had to cancel approximately 120 dinner bookings and 14 room bookings for guests who were planning to stay overnight. This is a particularly busy time for the restaurant, as it is currently the half-term holidays.
Bains shared a photo of the damage on Instagram
Speaking about his decision to close temporarily, Bains said: “The safety of our guests and staff is paramount. The good thing is that the restaurant’s not flooded – I was there in 2000 when we did get flooded and that was horrendous.”
“We’ve telephoned everybody, we’ve sent emails out, we’ve made sure that everyone who’s got travel plans with us is aware of what the situation is, and that’s all we can do. But it does look like it’s going to subside over the weekend.”
He continued: “It was probably half a metre away from the 2000 level of the river when it got flooded – so it was close. But we just don’t know what’s going to happen in the next 48 hours. The good thing is the water’s going down.”
Bains added: “My heart goes out to all the people whose homes have been flooded.”
In other Sat Bains news, the chef recently revealed we’ve all been cooking ragu wrong.