BBC & Michelin-starred chef closes restaurant after four years as he admits ‘the numbers didn’t add up’

MoneyMoney News A BBC and Michelin-starred chef has closed his restaurant after four years after admitting “the numbers didn’t add up”. Dominic Chapman has closed the doors of The Crown in Maidenhead, Berkshire, for the last time as he embarks on a new culinary chapter. Dominic Chapman has closed his gastropub, The Crown, after four years Credit: The Crown Burchetts Green The Michelin-starred chef admitted ‘the numbers didn’t add up’ Credit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture The acclaimed chef bought the leasehold to the gastropub from Simon Bonwick and his family in May 2022, reports The Caterer. But despite quickly gaining recognition for its “rewarding, flavoursome dishes” and its reinstatement to the Michelin Guide, the restaurant was closed earlier this month. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Chapman said: “It’s very sad that we have had to close the Crown. The business was just too small and the numbers didn’t add up. “It does mean I am now able to place my full energy into the Jack O’Newbury, an ambitious project that Nigel Sutcliffe and I are very passionate about which we are determined to make a success.” The Crown flourished under Bonwick following its launch in 2012 and was awarded a Michelin Star in 2016. During Chapman’s tenure, it ranked 22 on the Top 50 Gastropubs list where it was described as a “beautiful British country pub and restaurant offering a delicious menu, fine wine list and great cask ales”. Now, Chapman will turn his attentions to “The Jack” in Binfield, Berkshire, which was launched earlier this month alongside restaurateur Nigel Sutcliffe. It is housed in a restored village inn and features an 80-cover dining room, a bar area known as “The Snug”, a kitchen garden and terrace on two acres of private grounds. Most read in Money There are also 11 bedrooms divided spread across the pub and a converted barn. Chapman is described as a fourth-generation with The Castle Hotel in Taunton, Somerset, overseen by his family for the last 60 years. Earlier in his career, Chapman worked at the three Michelin-starred Fat Duck as well as London’s Kensington Palace under Rowley Leigh. Later on, he became head chef at Heston Blumenthal’s The Hinds Head. From 2007, Chapman was head chef at The Royal Oak Paley Street for seven years, where he earned a Michelin Star and three AA rosettes. He went on to open his own restaurant, The Beehive, in 2014 which was awarded two AA rosettes within 12 months. Chapman has also made a string of TV appearances on BBC2’s Great British Menu. Comment now