The JW Marriott Marquis has announced that it has cut ties with Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar. The decision was made following the chef’s publicly uploaded provoking and inflammatory tweet.
Kochhar has since deleted the tweet and issued an apology on his account saying: “There is no justification for my tweet, a major error made in the heat of the moment on Sunday. I fully recognise my inaccuracies that Islam was founded around 1,400 years ago and I sincerely apologise. I am not Islamophobic, I deeply regret my comments that have offended many.”
The hotel in which his restaurant is located, JW Marriott Marquis responded quickly to the situation: "Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant. At the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai we pride ourselves on creating a culture of diversity and inclusion for our guests and associates across the hotel and our restaurants. We also remain committed to delivering the traditional culinary experience and high service standards that Rang Mahal is renowned for,” it said.