Neil Perry’s new restaurant shut down on eve of grand opening

Acclaimed restaurateur Neil Perry was supposed to open ‘Margaret’ in Double Bay, named after his late mother, late last month.

With parts of Sydney entering lockdown on the eve of the grand opening, Mr Perry told Deborah Knight the opening had to be indefinitely postponed.

His staff are his biggest concern.

“We’d done a couple of events, and we were opening on the Friday evening … of the first weekend of the lockdown.

“Most of the food went to staff, because they clearly weren’t going to be paid for a little while.

“I’m checking my bank balance every day and seeing it only going out again.”

Press PLAY below to hear Neil’s post-lockdown plans