MasterChef winner Kenny Tutt's flagship Worthing restaurant Pitch closes

The restaurant, in Warwick Street, has been shut for good with ‘economic struggles’ blamed.

A letter to a member of staff from independent business advisory firm Quantuma, which has been seen by the Worthing Herald, referred to liquidators being appointed for Pitch Foods Ltd and informed the member of staff their contact of employment was terminated as of Monday, July 31.

An automatic reply to an email sent to the restaurant read: “Thank you for your email, sadly Pitch is now closed due to the current economic struggles. We would like to thank you for supporting our journey here at Pitch.” Mr Tutt told hospitality website Restaurant that the business’s financial situation had become ‘untenable’ and had been ‘treading water’ since the pandemic.

Despite this, the closure came as a surprise to many, with hundreds of people taking to social media to share their memories and sadness over cancelled reservations.

Three-time rosette-winning chef Johnny Stanford, who recently opened fine-dining restaurant Tern on Worthing Pier, also offered his support.

In a Facebook post, he said: “It’s always heart wrenching when we see a fellow restaurant having to close its doors.

“Our best wishes to Kenny and Lucy as they steer their next steps.”

A further post on Tern’s Facebook page said: “Throughout August, we invite anyone with a Pitch gift voucher to join us for our 5-course tasting lunch menu.

“We'll honour up to £25 per person from your Pitch gift card per person, giving you a chance to enjoy our offerings at a significantly reduced price."

Pitch opened in May, 2019, and has become the second restaurant owned by Mr Tutt to close this year – Bayside Social closed in April with Perch Pizza now occupying the space. Mr Tutt had previously said Bayside Social’s closure would give him ‘the chance to really focus’ on Pitch.

The MasterChef winner is due to open a new burger restaurant at Worthing’s Dome cinema, following a successful licensing application for the venue in Marine Parade.

The new licence holder and applicant was named as Oyster Foods Ltd t/a Patty Guy – Companies House has Mr Tutt and his wife, Lucy, registered as the directors of Oyster Foods. Patty Guy currently has two Sussex branches, in Brighton and Hastings.