A Michelin-starred restaurant run by the Saturday Kitchen chef Glynn Purnell has left customers with gift vouchers hundreds of pounds out of pocket after announcing its sudden closure.
Purnell said he could “only apologise for this difficult situation” after customers were told their vouchers, many worth hundred of pounds, could not be refunded or redeemed.
Purnell announced in October that his Birmingham restaurant, Purnell’s, was closing after 17 years, citing economic pressures and the ongoing challenges faced by the hospitality industry.
He said he was heartbroken and that “in this current climate, no one is bulletproof”, adding that bookings had fallen by more than 20%.
Therese Roberts, 58, from Coventry, said she had spent £750 on vouchers for the restaurant for friends and family after dining there herself. She said she found out about its closure through media reports, and tried contacting Purnell’s to see if she could get a refund and at first had no response.
After chasing them over email for 10 days, she was forwarded on to the liquidators who told her the vouchers were irredeemable and they could not issue refunds, and she was advised to contact her bank.
She was also told the vouchers could not be redeemed at Purnell’s other restaurants, Plates by Purnell’s in Birmingham and The Mount in Henley-in-Arden.
“I’m really disappointed. I thought he was a better man than that. It’s left a rotten taste in my mouth,” she told the BBC.
“He’s come across as a down to earth boy from Chelmsley Wood. I thought he would understand what it was like to be an ordinary person in the street.”
Ben Price, who received a £250 gift voucher for his birthday, told BirminghamLive: “I find it pretty poor form that they would take such a significant amount of money from people and offer no recompense or transfer of the voucher across to one of Glynn’s other ventures that he is continuing with.”
He added: “He has definitely fallen in my estimation as a result of the way this has been handled and communicated. £250 is a lot of money, especially in the current climate, so to leave loyal customers out of pocket while he continues with other ventures is a bit galling.”
Purnell’s opened in July 2007, quickly became a culinary hotspot in Birmingham and was awarded a Michelin star in 2008. Purnell, who was head chef at the restaurant, was born in Solihull and calls himself the “Yummy Brummie”. He is a regular presenter and chef on the BBC show Saturday Kitchen.
In a statement, he said: “I have been very grateful for the support in the unfortunate and unforeseen closure of the restaurant after 17 years. The closure is now in the hands of the liquidators which are Woods and Butchers and all queries regarding voucher refunds must legally be addressed to them.
“We have been advised that refunds can also be requested via customers’ own banks and credit card companies. I can only apologise for this difficult situation.”