Gordon Ramsay Restaurant Canada

Gordon Ramsay's first and only restaurant in Canada has severed its ties with the chef, ditching his name from its title and ripping up its contract after claiming he was not devoting enough time to the venture.

The owner of Laurier Gordon Ramsay, which opened in Montreal at a cost of £1m just six months ago, said he had been badly let down by Ramsay. "Customers kept asking: 'where's Gordon?'" Danny Lavy said.

"We spoke to his assistant and to him often about coming back at least three times a year. Gordon was excited about the project, but he never showed up." He told The Gazette in Montreal: "Are we disappointed in his lack of participation? Totally. I expected more. He just didn't get it."

A spokeswoman for the chef said he was "surprised and saddened" by the comments. "Gordon and his team have provided significant support to all levels of the business above and beyond what was required by the agreement, and we are rightfully proud to have contributed to its success to date, " she said.

"We have done far more than we were contractually obligated to."