Gordon Ramsay restaurant sees 477 lucky cat thefts

Celebrated television chef Gordon Ramsay has reported that his newly opened London restaurant, "Lucky Cat," had nearly 500 Maneki-neko figurines stolen within a week, with an estimated total value exceeding £2,000. The restaurant, located in Bishopsgate in central London, is known for serving "Asian-inspired" cuisine and displaying a large number of the beckoning cat ornaments.

Ramsay revealed during an interview on ITV's "The Jonathan Ross Show" that "Those cats are getting nicked. Last week 477 went missing, at £4.50 a pop." According to statistics, the total value of the stolen Maneki-neko reached £2,146.50. However, the City of London Police stated that they have not received a theft report from the restaurant.

Maneki-neko, believed to bring good fortune in Japanese culture, have become a major feature of the "Lucky Cat" restaurant. Ramsay also mentioned that he found it disturbing that some couples would enter the restaurant's restrooms together. The restaurant opened earlier this month on the 60th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, one of London's tallest buildings.

Speaking about his more than 80 restaurants worldwide, Ramsay stated, "It is a little bit frightening in terms of size and global influence." He also discussed his daughter Holly Ramsay's upcoming wedding with Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, revealing that they are planning a "Christmas wedding."

Ramsay said that Peaty, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, did not ask for his permission, but did talk to him about the engagement. "Adam is incredibly grounded, focused and disciplined. He sat us down in Cornwall and said ‘Holly is the perfect woman. I want to ask you and Tana for your blessing on her marriage’. That was a pretty amazing moment. Everything went quiet. We couldn't ask for a better future son-in-law." Holly and Peaty announced their engagement in September, as Peaty returned to competition ahead of the Paris Olympics.