It might seem unlikely that a genteel restaurateur such as Jeremy King should find himself in the midst of a venomous financial dispute.
Yet the impeccably polite and immaculately attired founder of hallowed London eateries The Wolseley and The Delaunay, who is widely credited with reinvigorating the fusty 1980s London dining scene with his partner Chris Corbin, is locked in a boardroom battle that exploded into the open this month. Thai hotel conglomerate Minor, majority shareholder of the restaurants’ owner Corbin & King, pushed the group into administration, saying that it had failed to reimburse Minor for £34mn of loans.
The step was the latest salvo in a continuing battle for control of Corbin & King, with Minor pushing for a worldwide rollout of Wolseley dining rooms and calling for steep cost cuts during the pandemic, both against chief executive King’s wishes, the restaurateur has said.