Michael O'Hare's Leeds restaurant company backed by Gary Neville being liquidated with £1m debts

Michelin star chef and Great British Menu judge Michael O’Hare ran The Man Behind The Curtain in Vicar Lane before changing it to a new concept called Psycho Sandbar in March this year.

But the new restaurant only lasted until October, when it closed its doors. Mr O’Hare said on Instagram at the time: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the last decade. We’ve had some amazing moments and I’m so thankful to everyone that has played their part, either as guests or as part of the team.

"The decision is very much based upon my exciting plans for the future, but is reflective of the changing experience market we all live in.”

‘Like a Bond villain’s lair’: Read The Yorkshire Post review of Psycho Sandbar

Vincent Simmons, who is handling the liquidation process for The Man Behind the Curtain (Leeds) Limited, which was the firm behind both ventures, told The Yorkshire Post that the business had been affected by the same factors that have caused the closure of many restaurants in the years since Covid.

He said it had taken several years since the pandemic for older customers to feel confident to return to restaurants, while the business had also been dealing with increasing costs.

"Utility costs have gone through the roof and then the cost of living crisis has been the final nail in the coffin for a lot of businesses,” he said.

Football pundit and businessman Gary Neville had become a director of the business in 2017 and revealed on LinkedIn earlier this year that he considered it “one of the most instinctive and incredible deals that I’ve ever done” after going to the restaurant and being talked into investing.

He said: “At the end of a meal I had at the restaurant, Michael presented me with the bill, but it wasn’t a normal bill, it was a bill that had a figure on it accompanied with a note that said this will give you 50 per cent of the restaurant, and from that moment on I was the co-owner of a Michelin star restaurant in Leeds.”

In the same post, he praised Mr O’Hare for a “brave and courageous decision” to give up his Michelin star and reopen with the Psycho Sandbar concept.

Companies House filings show Mr Neville stepped down as a director on September 24.

Among the firms owed money by the business is Mr Neville’s Relentless Leisure. It is the second largest creditor, owed £366,000, with HMRC owed £519,000.

Slightly over £1m is owed in total to 12 different creditors, including landlord Town Centre Securities which is owed more than £72,000.

A statement of affairs document said the business has £9,500 in cash, which is listed as the only estimated total assets available for preferential creditors.

However, the potential realisable value of fixtures and fittings, plants and machinery and a directors’ loan are currently “uncertain”. They are collectively listed as having a book value of over £650,000.