Scathing TripAdvisor reviews Gary Neville and MasterChef star’s restaurant received are revealed – as it goes into liquidation with £1m debts
A restaurant owned by former footballer Gary Neville has gone bankrupt with £1million in debts after diners posted a series of negative reviews in recent months.
The Leeds venue, called The Man Behind the Curtain and run by chef Michael O’Hare, went to the tax authorities with an unpaid bill totaling £519,000.
The restaurant was launched in 2014, with Manchester United legend Neville owning half of it, and was awarded a Michelin star in 2015 and three AA rosettes in 2016.
It also performed well on TripAdvisor with an average rating of 4.5 stars from more than 1,500 reviews, but in the final months leading up to its closure last December, more one- and two-star reviews began to be posted describing it as ‘absolute rubbish’.
However, it also still received many five-star reviews before it closed, with customers talking about an “enjoyable meal” and “such a cool unique experience.”
One of the most unusual-looking dishes at The Man Behind the Curtain was denia red shrimp served on a telephone – a play on the ‘Lobster Telephone’ object created by Salvador Dali
The Leeds restaurant gained a reputation for unique and very photogenic dishes
Even the cupcakes were artistically presented at The Man Behind the Curtain
A small dish served in a huge bowl was also on the menu at the now closed restaurant in Leeds
The Man Behind The Curtain had a reputation for artistic presentation, including tuna belly
Manchester United legend Gary Neville owned The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds
Michael O’Hare at The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds, his restaurant which closed last year
About 23 of the last 100 reviews, or 23 percent, were one or two stars — a big jump from the 128 one- or two-star reviews in total, spread across 1,643, or 8 percent.
One customer who has been unimpressed in recent months wrote a review entitled ‘You’re not missing a thing’ and said: ‘Glad it’s closed. Nothing more than an overpriced, pretentious gimmick. Absolute nonsense, small portions in a crazy setting, then go for a hamburger.’
A second from Halifax wrote a review saying ‘pretentious c**p’ and adding: ‘Disappointed but laughed about it afterwards. Cold and uninviting, extremely small portions and wine package were not included with every course.
‘It’s not worth the cost at all. Pretentious BS. Ate at restaurants all over the world with and without a Michelin star. This was by far the worst. An experience you will never have again! But if you don’t laugh about it… which we did all the way home.’
Another customer said on their fourth visit that the restaurant was ‘very disappointing’, having previously found it to be a ‘very relaxing’ start whilst sitting at reception serving drinks.
But on this last visit, she said: ‘We were quickly shown to our table even though we arrived early and when my husband opened my gift he was presented with menus and a speech – he clearly wanted us to continue.’
The woman described the food as ‘great as always’ but the wine as ‘just a joke if not an absolute rip off’, adding that the ‘prestige pairing’ of £180 per person was ‘not worth it at all ‘. She also claimed she was charged ‘well below the normal amount’ for her £20 glass of wine.
The restaurant gained a reputation for its unique dishes, such as olives wrapped in edible cellophane, ox cheek with salt and vinegar, pork rinds and chocolate pudding.
But it closed last year and Mr O’Hare, who competed on The Great British Menu and appeared on MasterChef, has since opened a new restaurant in the city called Psycho Sandbar.
Documents filed at Companies House show Neville’s company Relentless Leisure owes £366,848 to the restaurant.
The business statement listed £9,500 in estimated assets for creditors; a director’s loan of £500,000, described as ‘uncertain’ for repayment, while inventory worth £152,973 is also of ‘uncertain value’.
The banks are believed to be owed £14,000, with HMRC’s debt comprising two bills: one for £119,090 and the other for £400,194. The sun reported.
The accounts for 2023 are overdue, but those for 2022 reported profits of £187,000 and reserves of £105,938.
At the time of the venue’s closure, Mr O’Hare said the decision was ‘heavily based on my exciting plans for the future, but is a reflection of the changing experiential market in which we all live’.
He also said he was “incredibly proud” of his team’s work over the past decade.
Neville wrote on LinkedIn earlier this year: ‘A few years ago I signed one of the most instinctive and incredible deals I’ve ever done when I partnered with Michael O’Hare at ‘The Man Behind The Curtain’ restaurant. in Leeds.
Michael O’Hare has competed on The Great British Menu and appeared on MasterChef
The Man Behind the Curtain launched in Leeds in 2014, with Neville owning half of it
‘At the end of a meal I had in the restaurant, Michael handed me the bill, but it wasn’t a normal bill, it was a bill with a number on it, accompanied by a note saying you’d get 50 of it. percent of the restaurant, and from then on I co-owned a Michelin star restaurant in Leeds.
‘Fast forward to today and it has made a bold and courageous decision for Michael to give up his Michelin star and open a new restaurant, Psycho Sandbar, which I went to earlier this week.
‘It’s a sensational restaurant with an incredible experience and brilliant work from Michael and his team. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it.”
Since retiring in 2011, former England player Neville has built a £100 million empire ranging from real estate to marketing, but he has also had to endure some setbacks and losses.
His Hotel Football site overlooking Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium is said to have made a loss of more than £3 million in two years by 2022.
The hotel, which Neville said was struggling due to Covid restrictions, had also borrowed £10.2 million to stay afloat.