Chef Anca Torpuc, who used to work at one of the celebrity chef’s restaurants, says it's 'such a shame' that the company treats her like 'a little piece of s**t,' while a commenter calls him 'crazy' for making the decision.

• Mar 27, 2020

AceShowbiz - Gordon Ramsay has come under fire after laying off more than 500 staff as he's forced to temporarily shut down a string of his restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic. The celebrity chef reportedly summoned his staff to a meeting where they learned their contracts would be terminated, leaving many in tears.

Each staff member was later sent an email telling them they would be paid up to April 17, but he was unable to guarantee that they would retain their jobs when the restrictions lift, leaving many in tears. As if it's not sickening enough, he sacked his staff one day after he paid tribute to them in an Instagram post.

Announcing the closure of his eateries, Gordon, who is estimated to be worth around £140 million, wrote on Thursday, March 19, "Whilst we don't know when we will re-open, what we do know is by supporting each other through this terribly challenging time, we will come through this stronger than ever! Huge love and thanks to our amazing staff across the restaurants for their passion and support."

Chef Anca Torpuc, who used to work at one of his restaurants, criticized the decision on Twitter, writing, "Such a shame to see how the company that you worked for and gave everything you had for 2 years throw you away like you are nothing but a little piece of s**t, specially in difficult times like this even though they have absolutely nothing to lose by keeping you."

She added, "And I'm not taking about one person here, over 500 people lost their jobs yesterday so all I can say is thank you... I hope you sleep well at night knowing that so many people doesn't have a job in this difficult time because of you."

Instead of responding to the criticism, he recently took to Twitter to share a throwback clip from his show "Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip," with the three of them diving into the sea with the Italian chef removing his pants to skinny dip. Gordon wrote, "#tbt to my last holiday with the Three Amigos (@Ginofantastico@fredsirieix1)…next week's #GordonGinoandFred is a whole different beast ! And Italia ti amo…stay strong."

This prompted further backlash from people on social media, with one writing, "Why u firing staff rather than paying them." Another demanded, "Pay your staff," while another reacted in disbelief, "I so hope it isnt true that you have laid of 500 of your staff????" Someone else said, "After [he] terminated his staff, he posted such a thoughtless video on his Instagram. He is do [sic] not care [about] anything. Crazy. Hypocrite."