Ed Sheeran’s bar and diner Bertie Blossoms falls victim to Britain’s pub crisis as its debt rises to nearly £1.3million after struggling during Covid
Ed Sheeran’s bar and diner Bertie Blossoms falls victim to Britain’s pub crisis as its debt rises to nearly £1.3million after struggling during Covid
Bertie Blossoms, the singer’s upmarket eatery, has yet to achieve profitability despite its opening in 2019
Ed Sheeran’s trendy Notting Hill restaurant has emerged as another casualty of the UK’s ongoing pub crisis, with its debt reaching nearly £1.3 million as of December 2024. According to accounts filed recently, the business under his Dive Bar Portobello umbrella reported net current liabilities of £1.3 million, highlighting its financial strain.
Since its launch on Portobello Road, West London, in September 2019, the establishment has faced challenges, particularly during the pandemic. The restaurant was temporarily closed in 2020, and Sheeran personally covered wages for his ten employees rather than furloughing them. This decision underscored the difficulties faced by independent venues during lockdowns.
By December 2021, the company’s balance sheet showed a decline of £763,000 compared to the previous year. Staff numbers have also dropped, from ten in 2020 to just five currently. Despite these cuts, the restaurant remains a notable fixture, with its menu frequently updated and offerings including steak, pasta, and chocolate and prune brownies.
Customer feedback reveals mixed experiences at the venue
While the restaurant attracts high-profile patrons such as Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy, recent reviews suggest dissatisfaction among diners. In 2023, customers criticized the £19 dishes, claiming they ‘taste like second-rate microwave meals.’
‘What a disappointment, the food options were limited. Which wouldn’t have been a problem if the quality wasn’t so poor,’ one customer wrote on TripAdvisor. ‘You could see through to the kitchen. Which looked more like a roadside catering van. Food tasted similar. Everything was manufactured and if it couldn’t be deep fried it was over-boiled or fried. Looked like a good clean wouldn’t hurt either. Expensive for what tasted like a second-rate microwave meal and both the server and chef looked like a good wash wouldn’t hurt them either.’
Sheeran’s efforts to attract customers included a 50% discount on white wine in 2021, aiming to boost takeaway sales. However, these measures have not been sufficient to reverse the financial decline, which mirrors the broader struggles of UK pubs post-pandemic.
Reform UK proposes solutions to rescue the UK’s pub sector
As closures continue across the UK, Reform UK has unveiled plans to aid the hospitality industry. The party’s strategy includes reducing VAT to 10% for the sector, if elected, and funding this through the reinstatement of the two-child benefit limit for non-working families. It also pledges to abolish the employer national insurance increase, cut beer duty by 10%, and eliminate business rates for all pubs.
Reform MP Lee Anderson criticized the current government for ‘facilitating’ the loss of thousands of pubs over the past decade. He emphasized that each closed pub represents more than just a business: ‘The loss of one pub is a loss to all of us as inheritors of a tradition dating back to Roman rule.’
Earlier this month, the Chancellor announced a £100 million rescue package for landlords, extending opening hours and providing a 15% business rates reduction for English pubs. However, this support has not prevented the recent pub ban on Labour MPs, which was introduced after Rachel Reeves signaled the end of pandemic-era aid.