Celebrity TV chef forced to close beloved restaurant after ‘bitter row with landlord’ in ‘perfect storm’ of events

A FAMOUS TV chef has been forced to close his beloved restaurant after a “bitter row” with the landlord “over cash”.

Owned by a prominent Scottish hospitality couple, they have described the series as a “perfect storm” of events.

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The closure of the high-profile Bridge of Allan The restaurant has seen Nick and Julia Nairn hand over the keys to Douglas Wood.

Nick, a well-known celebrity chef, was the youngest Scot to win a Michelin star in the early 1990s.

Last year Nick saw the doors of his restaurant Nairn’s on Henderson Street close for the last time.

The pair have since revealed that a management contract with Wood had become “difficult”, reports report The herald.

Describe how they previously agreed to operate the former Jam Jar restaurantthey detailed how the global pandemic affected the hospitality sector.

The restaurant was renamed in February 2020 and also suffered a fire in August 2021.

Its revival as Nairn’s took place in July 2023 and the high-profile pair have claimed their attempts to renegotiate the deal with Wood were rejected.

Wood has denied these claims, suggesting instead that he was among many in the hospitality sector who were forced to change the way they did business as a result of the pandemic.

He has also suggested that the restaurant’s closure has left him £100,000 out of pocket.

Following a petition by the former landlord and owner of the local mine dealer, WoodWinters, Stirling Sheriff Court granted a winding up order.

This was issued to N&N Realisations, the company responsible for the restaurant at the time.

Wood’s request was part of his attempt to seek outstanding rent owed to him under the 10-year management contract terms with Nairns in 2019.

Despite Nairn agreeing to terms where they had to pay a percentage of turnover to Wood each quarter, the pair claim the contract was untenable following a change in trading terms.

Julia Nairn told The Herald how “the world has changed” since the restaurant reopened, noting the cost of living crisis.

She said: “We had very little to fall back on. The cost of living crisis had kicked in (and) we opened with the wrong offer.

“We did a small plates offer in Bridge of Allan (but it) turned out no one wanted small plates on a Wednesday afternoon in Bridge of Allan.

“Saturday night was great, but Wednesday lunchtime was not.”

When they explained how they went about opening after two years of closure, they were suddenly faced with a maximum percentage turnover point for Wood.

Nick Nairn also described how “repeated requests, either directly or through the landlord, to sit down and renegotiate this management agreement” were rebuffed by Wood.

The former landlord denies these claims and instead stated how the couple had “consistently” breached payment terms.

N&N Realisations, which is run solely by Julia Nairns, has been declared liquidated, according to the company’s page on the government’s website.

Official documents show how N&N Realisations, formerly Nairn & Nairn Limited, owes a deficit to creditors of more than £300,000, The Herald reports.

Julia has since suggested the creditors’ reports were a “snapshot taken in August” with suppliers “being paid a long time ago”.

Referring to the internal debt, Ms Nairn told The Herald: “That was the number taken at the time (liquidators were appointed). We have been working with the auditor and administrator (liquidator).

“That number has been reduced somewhat and there is a plan to pay back what is owed. Money will go into that pool from us personally.”

Reviews of the restaurant from before it closed suggest that many enjoyed their stay.

With most noting it as excellent on Tripadvisor, previous customers didn’t seem to struggle to praise the food and service.

The Sun has approached Douglas Wood for comment.

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