The initial contract was for ten years, and after it was extended for three further short periods, Ramsay withdrew from negotiations with the new owners of the hotel and closed the restaurant at the end of the lease on 30 June 2013.

It was positively reviewed by critics upon its launch, although work was required by staff to reduce the numbers of complaints it received from diners.

The negotiations for the lease of the restaurant were held between Ramsay's father-in-law, Chris Hutchinson, and John Ceriale from Blackstone.

[7] The restaurant hosted a red carpet-style opening party for 500 guests, with horse-driven Hackney carriages hired to sit outside the hotel to make it seem like when Claridge's was originally built.

[10] The restaurant was used to host a prepared segment for the final episode of season three of Ramsay's Channel 4 British television series The F Word.

[14] There was a list of statistics published by Gordon Ramsay Holdings which showed the quantities of food served over the lifetime of the restaurant.

[15] A voluntary donation of £1 was added to each bill during November and December for a London-based charity called StreetSmart.

However, a spot check for availability by The Daily Telegraph in 2009 showed that there were multiple tables on three days during the following week.

A weekly meeting was set up amongst the restaurant's staff to discuss the issues raised, and slowly the complaints reduced.

[19] Jan Moir, writing for The Daily Telegraph shortly after the restaurant opened, loved the interior and described the pigeon carpaccio as "amazing".

[22] The review from Time Out in 2012 gave the restaurant three out of five, praising an "accomplished service team" and said that the "kitchen produces food with confidence and flair".

Comments included a description of the restaurant as a "brilliant culinary experience" and although the cost was said to be "exorbitant",[25] the fixed price menu was called a bargain.

[citation needed] The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star, but it was withdrawn in 2010, a year after Sargeant left.

[32] The restaurant received a warning from Westminster City Council due to health and safety issues in 2006, as a sink used to wash dishes was too close to the food preparation area.

[citation needed] Three years later, it was reported in the media that Noelie Klineberg had suffered from food poisoning and found cling film in her main course.