Celebrity chef and MKR judge Colin Fassnidge and his business partners have sold The Four in Hand Hotel to Mitchell Waugh’s Public House Group for a reported $8 million.

According to Fassnidge, the venue will officially close its doors on 7 February, 2016 after a decade of trade under his tenure.

Meanwhile, speculation mounts that the Public House Group has engaged influential chef and restaurateur Guillaume Brahimi to create a menu suited to The Four in Hand Hotel, as well as neighbourhood stable mates The Royal and Woollahra Hotels.

The Four in Hand Hotel will become the seventh in the Public House Group stable, joining The Royal at Fiveways, Woollahra, Collaroy, Buena Vista, Forbes and Narellan Hotels.

After 10 years at ‘The Four’, Fassnidge realised he needed more leg room to deliver his vision of fine dining.

“We talked about growing the venue, but it is just too small for where I wanted to take it,” he said.

“When I started with Jane (Hyland) we only had three in kitchen and three on the floor. Now it’s twelve in the kitchen and twelve on the floor.”

Fassnidge admits the experience of running the more casual 4fourteen restaurant has expanded his horizons and perceptions on modern dining.

“The pub is five different sections, all over the place and trying to maintain it is hard. I need somewhere that is less restrictive and a better layout.”

“It’s good to go out on top while the business is still firing,” he said.

In the new year Fassnidge plans to find a new location for a project that merges the food of Four in Hand Dining Room with the aesthetic style of 4Fourteen.

Of the exit, Fassnidge concedes that although it’s the right move, it was a tough decision.

“It’s been pretty amazing and ‘The Four’ is pretty special to us. We’ve watched it grow and now it’s like a child leaving home,” he said.

“If anyone can give it the respect it deserves, it’s Guillaume Brahimi.”

delicious. is waiting for comment from Brahimi.

Read the delicious. review of Four in Hand Hotel.