Kerridge launched the restaurant in partnership with GG Hospitality, which owns the Stock Exchange Hotel and is led by footballer Gary Neville, back in 2019, but says he will now be parting ways with the group in order to focus on his restaurants in Marlow and London.
“Gary and I have jointly agreed to end our partnership at The Bull & Bear within the Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester and will part ways on 31 December 2022,” says Kerridge.
“It follows a three-year successful partnership with GG Hospitality, which has seen the hotel go from strength to strength with consistently high occupancy rates. We feel the need to concentrate on our Marlow and London sites and this allows us to look at further opportunities within these areas, therefore we have mutually decided to part ways.”
Located within the Grade II listed building of Edwardian architecture, The Bull & Bear took the space that was previously the trading floor of the Manchester Stock Exchange and serves a menu reflecting Kerridge’s signature style of refined British classic comfort food influenced by his Marlow venues The Coach and The Hand & Flowers.
Kerridge has confirmed that all staff at The Bull & Bear been offered roles elsewhere within the chef's business, adding that head chef Conner Black, who has worked within The Tom Kerridge Group since he was a 16-year-old apprentice, would be returning to Australia.
“We would like to thank all our guests for the amazing support they have given us,” he says.
“We wish GG Hospitality and The Stock Exchange all the success in the future.”
In his own statement, posted to his Instagram page, Neville confirmed that an announcement about the future of the site would take place next week.