Nearly 500 cat figurines were stolen in one week from Gordon Ramsay’s new London restaurant, the TV chef has said.
The restaurateur, 58, recently launched Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate by Gordon Ramsay in one of London’s tallest buildings, which features the beckoning Japanese cat models called maneki-neko.
He told ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show there had been numerous thefts.
Ramsay, known for his Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares reality TV programmes, said: “The cats are getting stolen. There were 477 stolen last week – they cost £4.50 each.”
This amount would mean the chef lost a total of £2,146.50 during one week.
The City of London police said it had not received any reports of theft from the restaurant.
The maneki-neko figurines are believed by some within Japanese culture to bring good luck and have been a feature in the Lucky Cat restaurants.
Reflecting on his empire of more than 80 restaurants globally, Ramsay said: “It does get a bit scary, in terms of how big it is and the global impact.
“The team are incredible and there are some amazing chefs throughout.
“Opening, in 1998, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, I would never have thought it would be here today – this year we celebrated 24 years at three star Michelin.”
Ramsay also told Ross that his daughter Holly Ramsay, 25, and Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty are planning a “Christmas wedding”.
Peaty, 30, did not seek his permission but did talk to him about the engagement. “He said ‘Holly is just the perfect woman. I’d like to get your blessing – from you and Tana for her hand in marriage’. It was that sort of amazing moment. Everything went quiet. As a future son-in-law, we couldn’t ask for anyone better.”
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 9.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
