Former Manchester United star Gary Neville has grown a large business portfolio alongside his footballing ventures but has been forced to close a Leeds restaurant
Gary Neville has been forced to close his glitzy Leeds restaurant amid rising debts.
The former Manchester United star has embarked on a number of business ventures since hanging up his boots. One of those includes Leeds food spot The Man Behind the Curtain.
The restaurant was set up in 2014 and had been awarded a Michelin star having been run by chef Michael O’Hare – who had also appeared on Masterchef. Neville owned 50 percent of the business via Relentless Leisure.
But it has now been forced to close amid huge debts. According to a Statement of Affairs filed at Companies House, the business owed £366,848.
£9,500 in estimated assets woes owed to creditors, while a director’s loan owed at £500,000 was described as ‘uncertain’ for payback, with fixtures and fittings – worth around £152,973 was also valued as ‘uncertain’.
Meanwhile, banks are owed £14,000, with HMRC’s debt detailing two outstanding bills worth £119,090 and £400,194. The accounts for 2023 of Neville’s restaurant venture are overdue, but the 2022 edition reported a £187,000 profit and reserves at £105,938.
Despite the liquidation, the restaurant is still running under a different guise. A post from Neville on LinkedIn earlier this year read: “A few years ago I signed one of the most instinctive and incredible deals that I’ve ever done when I went into partnership with Michael O’Hare on ‘The Man Behind The Curtain’ restaurant in Leeds.
“At the end of a meal I had at the restaurant, Michael presented me with the bill, but it wasn’t a normal bill, it was a bill that had a figure on it accompanied with a note that said this will give you 50% of the restaurant. From that moment on I was the co-owner of a Michelin star restaurant in Leeds!
“Fast forward to today and it’s taken a brave and courageous decision for Michael to give up his Michelin star and open a new restaurant, Psycho Sandbar, that I went to earlier on in the week.
“It’s a sensational restaurant with an unbelievable experience and a brilliant job from Michael and his team. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it.”
The closure of the restaurant is Neville’s latest blow. The company behind Cafe Football – a venture between the former defender and ex-teammate Ryan Giggs – was formally dissolved last year. His Hotel Football venture also lost another £600,000 in the most recent financial year despite a record turnover.
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