The modern Indian restaurant group had planned to open a site in Neal’s Yard in the winter but it is understood that the restaurant is no longer going ahead, with the group looking to international expansion instead.
The Covent Garden restaurant was announced in April last year and was to have room for more than 130 diners across 4,000sq ft and be positioned as an all-day restaurant offering breakfast through to dinner.
Kricket operates restaurants in Brixton, Soho, Shoreditch and Canary Wharf and has previously said that it was looking overseas, with countries such as Dubai on its radar.
Restaurateurs in the UK have cited the high costs of site build and fit outs as being a barrier to expansion, as well as an uncertain economic climate. In February this year, Thesleff Group founder Markus Thesleff said a lack of clarity in the UK was making it a risky place to invest at scale and that the group had identified and signed for big opportunities abroad.
Michelin-starred starred chef Simon Rogan, meanwhile, has warned that the Government’s new tourist tax could force him to shelve plans to open more restaurants in Britain.
Rogan, the chef behind the three-Michelin-starred L’Enclume restaurant in the Lake District, told The Telegraph that expanding in the UK was “not a viable proposition at the moment” following the decision to give local authorities powers to impose a levy on overnight stays.