Your best and worst financial decisions?
Best, buying the house in Camden, although it was scary not knowing if we’d manage to pay a mortgage of over £1 million. I’ve made bad business decisions in terms of working with certain people but no bad financial decisions.
Zafferano I did with City people. I didn’t look into the implications of being a 25pc owner. I received much less than what I thought I deserved. I’d built it, the kitchens, everything.
I worked day and night, seven days a week and couldn’t go and see my daughter play in her school for seven years.
Have you avoided such trouble since?
With Locanda Locatelli the bank was behind me straight away. And I have an honest accountant who explains things and makes numbers bearable for me.
Have there been odd money-related incidents?
One customer came for lunch with two wealthy associates, and before the food came he went outside to smoke. When it was ready I went outside and told him he said, “They’re so boring. I can’t go back in.”
He puts his hand in his pocket, pulls out a wad of money, like £400, and says, “And this is for the bill because those f***ing billionaires never pay the f***ing bill.” And he left.
Have you done lucrative adverts?
Yes. I used to get paid £76 for working 90 hours a week. So when somebody offers TV work for £10,000 a day of course you do it, especially with a big company like Peroni if they think my image is suitable and it’s ethical.
Have your overseas restaurants been profitable?
They went crazy in Dubai when I said I didn’t want to sign for another five years for my Ronda Locatelli restaurant, which began in 2008. It was incredible for my career as a chef: we were making £250,000 to £300,000 a year.
My restaurant in Cyprus I’ve had since 2003 is a very different set-up: very small with one person in charge who owns it. Whenever you have a problem you call him up: when it’s corporate no one’s responsible for anything.
Have you ever splashed out?
For my wife’s 40th birthday I invited 30 or 40 people to come to Sicily for a week or so. I still don’t know what it cost because Plaxy got the bill in the end.
What’s the most you’ve charged overseas for a banquet?
I once charged £25,000 in the Middle East.
Have you seen money’s funny side?
When my uncle Alfio passed away my cousin took care of his personal things, and behind his bathroom mirror found two bank-books for Swiss deposit accounts nobody knew about with 100 million lire (then more than £60,000) in them.
They also found he had relationships with 16 different banks – as well as another wife, house and kid in Tuscany nobody knew about either.
