Gordon Ramsay hit by Brexit price rises as TV chef hires specialist negotiators for restaurant empire

'There is a great deal of uncertainty about the future direction of the economy', the chef's company said in its annual report

The star’s restaurant empire, which includes Belgravia-based Petrus and the Savoy Grill, has been forced to hire a team of specialists to negotiate food prices (Rex Features)

Even Michelin-starred television chef Gordon Ramsay is not immune to the impact of Brexit.

The star’s restaurant empire, which includes Belgravia-based Petrus and the Savoy Grill, has been forced to hire a team of specialists to negotiate food prices which have escalated rapidly since the UK decided to leave the EU.

Companies House filings for Gordon Ramsay Holdings, which services the chef’s restaurants, state that because of the vote, “there is a great deal of uncertainty about the future direction of the economy”.

“This will have a number of potential implications including cost pressures due to the inflationary impact of sterling against the euro, recruitment and the general economic climate,” the report states.

“In part to mitigate the inflationary impact a procurement team has been recruited to manage the supply chain.”

The report, filed on Tuesday, covers the year to the end of August 2016, two months after the Brexit vote.

On the positive side, the report foresees a pickup in tourism in 2017, which Mr Ramsay’s London-based restaurants are “well placed to benefit from”.

A spokesperson for the restaurateur told the Guardian: “The business model is aimed at avoiding regular and reactionary price changes to customers [to avoid] passing on inflationary and currency pressures,” she said.

“For example, the biggest currency exposure is on buying wine so we are working on our supply chain in order to mitigate the impact of fluctuations in sterling. This includes sourcing wines from around the world and using purchasing power better.”

The price of food is rising at its fastest in more than three years, the British Retail Consortium reported in April.

Food inflation hit 1 per cent year-on-year in March, the sharpest rise since February 2014 and marking the second month in a row of rising prices.

It comes as the squeeze on household finances tightens. Inflation jumped unexpectedly to 2.7 per cent in April.

As well as price rises, the hospitality industry is facing a recruitment crisis as new immigration controls threaten to cut off the flow of labour that supports many of the UK’s bars, hotels and restaurants.

The British Hospitality Association trade body said in March that it faces a 60,000 worker shortfall every year because of Brexit.