Ernst Van Zyl calls time on plans to open Restaurant Klok
“Myself and (business partner) Liz Kellet are gutted and very sad to say we’ve made the difficult and agonising decision to not open restaurant Klok in Stockport anymore,” writes Van Zyl on Twitter.
The chef told BigHospitality that his reasons for terminating the project are both legal and financial, and in one tweets says that he would consider a career change as “this cheffing thing doesn’t seem to be working out that well anymore”.
“Some of the legalities couldn’t satisfy all parties involved leading to a happy middle ground,” Van Zyl told BigHospitality.
“The hospitality industry is a very high risk industry and securing funding is becoming nearly impossible sadly.”
The crowdfund campaign had raised just £789 of a £30,000 target- which had been reduced from an initial goal of £100,000.
The money, which will now not be taken from any of the campaign’s donors, would have been used to finance the refurbishments; building work; furniture; furnishings and kitchen renovation of the former Winters jewellery shop, which is a grade-II listed building in Stockport's Old Town.
South African-born Van Zyl started his UK career in 1998 with the Hilton Group in Manchester, before taking a role as senior banqueting chef at the London Hilton Park Lane hotel.
He was also chef-patron at the Lord Clyde in Kerridge just outside Maccleseld, where he achieved three AA rosettes, and chef-patron of the Hanging Gate Inn in Cheshire. He was due to head up the kitchen at Cunard House but was ‘let go’ before its launch.
