Gordon Ramsay Off the Menu at Claridge's Hotel

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has received a blow after it was announced his restaurant at top London hotel Claridge's will be closing after more than a decade.Ramsay was one of the first of a series of exciting new chefs to bring innovation and a sprinkling of stardust to the London hotel restaurant scene when he won the Claridge's contract in 2001.The restaurant received rave reviews when it opened, but in recent years the praise has been lukewarm and in 2010 it lost its Michelin star.Last year, Claridge's hosted a pop-up version of Noma, the Danish restaurant currently ranked the world's best.Thomas Kochs, general manager at Claridge's, said on Thursday: "Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's was the first diversification venture for the chef who has since become an internationally known household name."It has undoubtedly made an exceptional contribution to Claridge's gastronomic history."We feel the time has come, however, for a new dining direction for Claridge's and we bid farewell to Gordon with best wishes for the many exciting projects he has around the world."A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said: "We have taken the decision to close Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's in June 2013 following a fantastic collaboration over the last 12 years."We'd like to thank all our guests for the amazing support they have given for over a decade but felt the time was right to move on to new opportunities and investments."Despite the Claridge's setback, Ramsay insists his restaurant empire is back on track after a rocky few years when he had a public falling-out with his father-in-law and business partner.After the Claridge's closure, the chef will still be operating 26 restaurants around the world including in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Qatari capital Doha, although his presence in top London hotels will be limited to the Savoy.Ramsay, 46, continues to enjoy success on US television in shows in which he seeks to turn around failing restaurants.