Pep Guardiola and some of his Man City pals invested in Test Catala back in 2018 to bring a taste of his home country to the UK, but it has announced it is shutting its doors for the last time
Rachel Reeves’ budget has been blamed for the closure of Pep Guardiola’s restaurant in Manchester. Test Catala, which the Man City manager invested in alongside pals from the club, has announced it is shutting down after seven years.
Guardiola has used Test Catala to wine and dine City signings and the club’s execs, with the likes of Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne and Mikel Arteta having visited the Manchester eaterie.
But the restaurant is closing its doors this Saturday, saying in a social media statement that it had faced “exceptionally challenging trading conditions and increased costs”. UK Hospitality said wage rises and steep increases in rateable values in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ recent budget would hit the hospitality sector hard.
UKHospitality’s Allen Simpson of UK Hospitality told The Sun: “This is yet another example of how cost pressures are forcing venues to take the hard decision to close for good.
“Successive Budgets have dramatically increased the cost of employment and will soon send business rates soaring. Unfortunately, this will only accelerate business closures and job losses.
“The Government needs to take action. It should increase the business rates discount for hospitality to the maximum 20p to avoid significant rates hikes in April.”
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith put the boot in with a football analogy, telling the outlet: “The Chancellor’s latest Budget was another own goal for pubs and restaurants.
“They were already one-nil down on higher wage costs but her hikes in business rates seems to have sealed their fate.”
Tast Catala, meaning ‘Catalan taste’ or ‘a taste of Catalonia’, was launched by independent restaurant group Fazenda in 2018, according to the Manchester Evening News. Guardiola teamed up with Man City chief exec Ferran Soriano and former director of football Txiki Begiristain to invest in the restaurant, bringing in world-renowned Catalan cook Paco Perez as head chef.
In a post shared on Instagram this week, the restaurant said: “After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close Tast’s doors for the very last time on 20 December 2025.”
The statement added: “Like many in the hospitality sector, we have faced exceptionally challenging trading conditions and increased costs. But the unwavering support of our shareholders and the dedication of our team have seen us through these past seven years.
“Above all, we are proud to have been able to share some of Catalunya, our beloved country, with the people of Manchester. Between now and our final service on 20 December, we look forward to welcoming you and celebrating what Tast has always been about: great food, great people and memorable moments shared around the table.
“Thank you for being part of our journey. With gratitude, Team Tast.”
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