Gino D'Acampo restaurants face HMRC winding-up petition.

A table booked for a birthday, a family meal or a gift voucher can feel suddenly uncertain when reports emerge that a restaurant operator faces a winding-up petition. The important point is that a petition is a serious court process, but it is not an immediate closure notice and does not automatically cancel every reservation.

Reports have linked an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) winding-up petition to Upmarket Hotels & Leisure, the company associated with several restaurants trading under the Gino D’Acampo name. If you have paid a deposit, bought a voucher or arranged a group meal, the most useful response is practical: confirm the position with the individual venue, keep your evidence and avoid relying on rumours.

What has been reported

A winding-up petition has reportedly been brought by HMRC against Upmarket Hotels & Leisure, a hospitality company linked to restaurants associated with Gino D’Acampo.

The petition concerns the company named in the legal process, rather than Gino D’Acampo personally. That distinction matters. A celebrity chef’s name, a restaurant brand and the company that employs staff or takes customer payments are not necessarily the same thing.

Reports have connected the company with venues in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds, as well as Luciano by Gino D’Acampo on the Strand in London. However, restaurant groups can use different companies for different sites, leases and services. The trading position of one venue should not be assumed from news about another.

Check the legal business name on your booking confirmation, receipt, voucher terms or card statement. It is more reliable than a restaurant’s public-facing name alone.

A winding-up petition is a request for a court to act. It is not, by itself, proof that a restaurant has stopped trading.

What a winding-up petition means

A winding-up petition is a formal application asking the court to place a company into compulsory liquidation. Creditors, including HMRC, can use the process when they believe a company cannot pay debts that are due.

A court hearing may result in a winding-up order, but there are other possible outcomes. A petition may be withdrawn, dismissed, adjourned or settled. The company may dispute the debt, agree a payment arrangement or enter a different insolvency procedure.

If a winding-up order is made, an official receiver or insolvency practitioner may take control of the company’s affairs. Depending on the circumstances, trading might stop, a business or assets might be sold, or some services could continue temporarily while options are considered.

That is why phrases such as “gone bust” can be unhelpful when used too early. They can wrongly suggest that every site has closed and every customer has lost money.

What to do if you have a booking

There is no need to cancel a meal solely because you have seen a headline about a petition. Start by checking the facts for your specific booking.

1. Contact the venue directly

Use the restaurant’s official website, booking system, published telephone number or verified social-media account. Ask whether your reservation remains active and whether any deposit or prepayment is still valid.

An unanswered call is not evidence of closure. Restaurants are often unable to answer the phone during busy service periods, and online opening information can take time to change.

2. Keep a clear record

Save the following until your meal has taken place and any payment issue is resolved:

• booking confirmations and reminder emails;
• receipts for deposits or advance payments;
• screenshots of the terms that applied when you booked;
• messages exchanged with the restaurant or booking platform;
• voucher details, including its value, issue date and expiry date.

Keep copies somewhere other than your inbox if possible. A downloaded PDF, screenshot or printed copy can be useful if an account is later inaccessible.

3. Be cautious about new advance payments

If you are making a new booking far in advance, ask whether a pay-on-the-day or refundable option is available. This is not an accusation against a particular venue; it is a sensible approach whenever there is uncertainty around a business.

For a large table, ask in writing what happens to the deposit if the restaurant cannot provide the booked meal. Make sure you understand whether the payment is refundable, transferable to another date or retained as a cancellation charge.

If you hold a gift voucher

Gift vouchers deserve particular attention because they are normally a promise of future goods or services, rather than money held separately for the customer.

If the relevant venue confirms that it is open and accepting vouchers, using an existing voucher sooner may be sensible if you had intended to visit anyway. Do not make a special journey without checking first, particularly if the voucher is close to its expiry date.

If a company enters liquidation, customers with unused vouchers may be treated as unsecured creditors. In practical terms, they may need to submit a claim for any unused value, and there is no guarantee that money will be returned.

Do not buy a new high-value voucher simply because you hope to secure a future meal. A voucher is not a savings product and can carry risk if the business later stops trading.

Keep the original voucher, the receipt and the email confirmation. Together, they provide the strongest evidence of what was bought and when.

Payment protection: check, but do not assume

Your options after a failed booking or closed venue depend on the facts, the payment method and the amount paid. A card provider, bank, booking platform or travel insurer may each have its own process and time limits.

If you paid by card and the restaurant cannot provide the meal, contact the card provider promptly and explain what has happened. Provide the booking confirmation, proof of payment and any cancellation notice. If you used a third-party booking site, contact that company too.

Avoid assuming that a refund is automatic. Card disputes and any protections available can depend on the payment route, the contract and whether the supplier has formally ceased trading. Your bank or card provider can explain its own procedures, but it cannot decide a court case for you.

If you are asked to share documents, use the provider’s official app, website or telephone number. Be alert to scam messages claiming that you must “verify” a booking or voucher urgently.

Common mistakes to avoid

Reports of financial trouble can lead to understandable anxiety, but a few mistakes make matters worse.

• Assuming every restaurant under a familiar name has closed. Check the individual venue and the company named on your paperwork.
• Treating a petition as a winding-up order. A petition starts a legal process; an order is a later decision that a court may or may not make.
• Relying on an unverified social-media post. Look for a statement from the venue, an insolvency practitioner, Companies House records or reliable reporting.
• Deleting receipts once the booking is made. Keep records until the meal is complete and any refund question is settled.
• Paying a large deposit without reading the terms. Ask whether it is refundable and what happens if the restaurant cannot fulfil the booking.
• Taking frustration out on staff. Front-of-house teams may have no information about company finances and cannot resolve a legal process.

Administration and liquidation are not the same

News reports can use insolvency terms loosely, but administration and compulsory liquidation have different purposes.

Administration is intended to give an insolvent company breathing space while an administrator seeks to rescue the business, sell it or achieve a better outcome for creditors than immediate liquidation. Restaurants can sometimes continue trading during administration.

Compulsory liquidation usually follows a court winding-up order. Its focus is on gathering and realising company assets, dealing with its affairs and distributing any available funds according to insolvency rules.

A company that faces a petition does not automatically enter liquidation. Likewise, a restaurant that trades during an insolvency process is not necessarily guaranteed to remain open. The position can change quickly, so date-stamped updates from the venue are more useful than old headlines.

Extra care for celebrations and group meals

For a birthday, work dinner, wedding-related event or Christmas gathering, a little preparation can limit disruption.

1. Put key terms in writing

Confirm the deposit, minimum spend, menu requirements, cancellation deadline and refund terms by email. Telephone conversations are useful, but a written follow-up creates a record.

2. Keep payments proportionate

Avoid paying more, or earlier, than the booking terms require. If several guests are contributing, agree in advance who is paying the venue and who is collecting money from the group.

3. Have a realistic back-up

For a busy Saturday or December date, identify one or two nearby alternatives. You may never need them, but it is easier than finding a table for a large party at the last minute.

The practical next step

For diners, the immediate task is simple: confirm your own booking directly, retain proof of payment and watch for formal updates rather than speculation.

A winding-up petition is a serious matter for a company, its workers, suppliers and customers. It is not, however, the same as a confirmed closure or a court winding-up order. Calm communication, good records and sensible caution over future prepayments are the best way to protect your plans if the situation changes.