‘Restaurants won’t survive’: Michelin chef opens venues abroad to withstand UK taxes
A British Michelin-starred chef says he is opening restaurants abroad to subsidise his UK venues against a backdrop of high taxes and a struggling hospitality sector,Jason Atherton is now in Forte dei Marmi, on the Tuscan coast in Italy, where he is preparing his newest opening, Maria’s, which will be in the Principessa hotel,The Sheffield-born chef now has restaurants all over the world, including in Dubai and St Moritz,He said he was finding it easier to make a profit in countries with more forgiving policies towards restaurants, pubs and bars,“I am trying to sustain our business by opening abroad.
We are opening one new restaurant in the UK but we are very cautious – we are certainly not gung ho like we were five or six years ago,” Atherton said from the kitchen at Maria’s.The chef, 54, believes “restaurants will not survive” if high taxes continue.“If we didn’t have a global brand we would find it tough because the UK is tough,” he said.“I have restaurants that are losing money.We are not asking for handouts, we are asking for a fair chance to stay alive.
”Restaurants say they are struggling in the face of tough economic conditions,Business rates increased this year as Covid-era reliefs expired,The industry body UKHospitality has calculated that this will hit the average restaurant business with £32k of extra tax,Additionally, VAT, a consumption tax added to most goods and services, is at 20% for restaurants in the UK, one of the highest rates in Europe,The European average for restaurants is about 12%.
In Italy, this is set at 10% for food sold in restaurants.The UK government has also increased employer contributions on national insurance for lower paid employees, leaving restaurants paying more tax for every person they hire.“All I know is that the tax on hospitality in the UK is the highest in Europe.Ireland VAT is 9% we are 20%, hospitality in Ireland is booming,” Atherton said.Kate Nicholls, the chair of UKHospitality, believes it is harder to run a restaurant in the UK than elsewhere in Europe.
“The UK has one of the highest rates of VAT for hospitality in Europe, which puts our restaurants at a significant disadvantage to their competitors across the continent,”Atherton has been awarded five Michelin stars throughout his career for his various restaurants,Row on 5, his Mayfair venue, was awarded a star seven weeks after opening, and was given two stars the following year,He initially worked with Gordon Ramsay, launching the Maze restaurant, before venturing out on his own, opening venues such as Pollen Street Social and Berners Tavern,He is enjoying life in Italy, where he is working with executive chef Giorgio Cicero.
“It is quite a personal project to me because we’ve been coming for 12 years as a family.I am having a lot of fun learning about Italian food,” Atherton said.But is he nervous about being a Brit serving pasta to Italians? “I am a chef restaurateur who has been around the chopping block multiple times,” he said.“Giorgio, who has worked with me for eight years, is now back to his homeland and together, with me, he has written a menu.”Although taxes and rising costs are keeping margins tight in the UK, Atherton thinks it is important to keep affordable options on the menu.
The Michelin-starred chef has been determined to serve pints of beer for under a fiver, for example,He said he saw a television news report that you cannot get a pint in London for under £7,“I thought is that right? I looked at the margins and decided to knock our pint down so people can come and have a pint,We also didn’t put the prices up at Row when we got two stars, they are the same as when we had one star,”Atherton added that at his restaurant Three Darlings in Chelsea, the average lunchtime spend is £30.
“The thing I look forward to the most is taking my family out for lunch or dinner on my one day off on a Sunday.It is one of the most enjoyable things you can do as a human.I think if we lose that or a part of it in the UK it is devastating on every level.If that becomes a massive luxury that’s terrible.” This article was amended on 7 May 2026.
An earlier version said that UK restaurants VAT rate was the highest in Europe; it is one of the highest,
Australian workers have been hard done by and tax reforms in the budget only begin to return some fairness | Greg Jericho
Wages are growing at a much slower pace than inflation, according to the latest data. This fits the story of the budget: that those earning a living off wages have been left behind by those who make their money through investments and tax minimisation schemes such as discretionary trusts.So I have some good news for the governor of the Reserve Bank, Michele Bullock. She can relax. Because, as has been the case for roughly 35 years, there is no evidence of a wage-price spiral
US Senate confirms Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair, replacing Jerome Powell
The US Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve, one of the most powerful roles in the federal government that holds enormous sway over the economy.The 54-45 Senate vote on Wednesday was split along party lines, with the exception of the Democratic senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, who joined the Republican majority. It was most divisive confirmation vote for the position in history.Warsh was confirmed for a four-year term as chair and a 14-year appointment on the Fed’s rate-setting board.Warsh will officially step into the role on 14 May, when the term of outgoing Fed chair, Jerome Powell, ends
Sam Altman defends OpenAI in courtroom showdown with Elon Musk
The OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, took the stand on Tuesday to defend himself and his company against a lawsuit by Elon Musk. Altman is set to be one of the final witnesses in the trial, which has pitted two of the tech industry’s most powerful men against each other in a dramatic courtroom showdown.Musk has accused Altman and OpenAI of breaking the AI firm’s founding agreement by restructuring it into a for-profit enterprise, alleging that Altman essentially swindled him into co-founding the company and providing tens of millions in financial backing. Musk also claims Altman unjustly enriched himself in the process and is seeking the CEO’s removal from OpenAI, the redistribution of $134bn to the firm’s non-profit and the undoing of its for-profit conversion.OpenAI and Altman have rejected all of Musk’s claims, arguing that he is motivated by jealousy after a failed bid to take over the AI firm in 2018 and a subsequent departure from its board
Florida students boo graduation speaker who called AI ‘next Industrial Revolution’
Though college graduations usually consist of a speaker giving advice to students, one recent ceremony featured students giving the speaker their opinions – loudly.The University of Central Florida’s 2026 graduating class booed as a real estate development executive spoke about how “the rise of artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution” and about “living in a time of profound change”.The crowd of students was so loud that Gloria Caulfield paused, turned away from the podium and threw her hands up in the air.“Woop, what happened?” she asked, before letting out a nervous laugh: “OK, I struck a chord. May I finish?”As the crowd calmed down, Caulfield proceeded
Jim Furyk tells US players they need to make Ryder Cup more of a priority
Jim Furyk has admitted the United States need to make the Ryder Cup more of a priority as the 56-year-old plots a reversal of fortunes at Adare Manor in September 2027.Speaking expansively for the first time since being handed the US captaincy for a second time, Furyk pointed towards an overhaul of approach to the biennial event. He also suggested he will be keen to involve Tiger Woods on his backroom team.Victory for Europe at Bethpage last year means the US have won two of the past eight Ryder Cup stagings. The PGA of America wanted Woods to assume the captaincy for Adare, a scenario that was subject to delay before it was rendered impossible by the 15-time major winner’s Florida car crash in March
England v New Zealand: second women’s cricket ODI abandoned – as it happened
England’s one-day international against New Zealand on Wednesday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.Following their narrow-squeak win in Sunday’s game, England had named a new-look XI at Northampton which contained both Alice Capsey and Sophie Ecclestone. Capsey is now fully recovered from a bout of sickness, while Ecclestone’s inclusion was particularly welcome news as it suggests the quad problem which kept her out of Sunday’s match will not be a problem in next month’s T20 World Cup.However, after hours of back-and-forth between the groundstaff and the covers, persistent showers through the afternoon forced the umpires to call off the match at 4.40pm
Royal Opera House calls for release of Georgian bass singer jailed over democracy protests
‘Using his Terminator voice, Arnie said: “Your song. Give it to me. Now”’: Bad to the Bone’s creation – and aftermath
What is a ‘Scientology speedrun’ and why is social media suddenly obsessed with it?
Joseph Fiennes on parenting, politics and banning children from social media: ‘Stand up, Keir, this is your kids’ generation’
The Guide #242: Everyday Hollywood film comedies have faded but can they make a comeback?
Ah, ah, ah, ah - I saved my dad’s life with a little help from The Office and the Bee Gees