Goodbye Cinnamon Club?

It would seem that all is not well in Westminster.

According to reports on CatererSearch.com (the website of Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine) there is a major restructuring going on at The Cinnamon Club.  Part of this includes the dreaded "roll-out of the brand".  In other words, open up Cinammon Clubs everywhere, dilute the quality and end-up as yet another concept restaurant (think TGI Friday set in Delhi).

However CS.com misses out on one crucial fact that is reported in tonight's Evening Standard.  Iqbal Wahhab, the founder of the Cinnamon Club has left the group.  He is quoted in the Evening Standard as saying that he is still a shareholder in the Cinnamon Club but is focussed on developing Roast.  According to the article the group has run-up debts of £1m.

If the Cinnamon Club goes tits-up as a result of this restructuring, it is a sad day for decent restaurants in London.  But it does raise the question of what on earth was going on, to cause such significant problems.