It started with a whimper but ended with a bang, and quite a lot happened in between as well, it turned out. Here are some of the major events of the year that happened within the restaurant sector
Fishworks flounders and is then revived
Fishworks, the 10-strong seafood chain founded by former fishmonger Mitch Tonks, went into administration at the start of the year following on from a tough 2008. Three of the company’s most successful London sites, in Richmond, the West End and Marylebone, as well as the original site in Bath, were subsequently bought by investment vehicle Boparan Investments. The restaurants continue to trade under the Fishworks name. In June Tonks opened The Rockfish Grill on the site of the former Fishworks branch in Bristol.
Calorie counting hits the restaurant scene
Restaurant and fast food chains including Pizza Hut, Nando’s and Subway marked what may ultimately be the start of calorie counts appearing on numerous restaurant menus when they announced in January that they would be signing up to the Food Standard Agency’s nutritional labelling scheme. The scheme, which follows a similar project in New York where calorie labelling is now mandatory, encourages restaurant chains to put the calorie counts of dishes on their menus in a bid to encourage healthier eating. The Real Greek chain followed suit in July, adding calorie information to all its menus. The FSA is currently in consultation with the industry over the findings of the six-month pilot project.
Wozza loses battle with the banks
Antony Worrall Thompson stole the headlines in February when his company AWT Restaurants fell into administration. Worrall Thompson’s flagship restaurant Notting Grill closed, as well as his Barnes Grill, but the celebrity chef immediately bought back two other Grill restaurants, in Kew and Windsor, as well as his deli The Windsor Larder, telling us he would “rebuild his business”. In July he reopened his pub The Greyhound.
Heston announces bold new dining plans
Heston Blumethal revealed he would be opening a new restaurant in London’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, with Ashley Palmer-Watts heading up the kitchen. Details of the food were not forthcoming, but in an interview with Restaurant, Blumenthal said the food would be “research driven, but we’re also going to serve simple things like a rib of beef and triple-cooked chips”.
El Bulli makes it a high five at the World’s 50 Best
El Bulli is named the World’s Best Restaurant for a fourth consecutive year in May in the annual S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. The result means that the Spanish restaurant, with chef Ferran Adrià at the helm, has won the accolade an impressive five times since the list’s inception in 2002.
Furore at The Fat Duck
The Fat Duck was at the centre of a media storm in the summer after it emerged it was forced to close for nearly three weeks in February following a food poisoning scare, which caused 529 customers to complain of vomiting and diarrhoea. The Health Protection Agency later found that oysters from Colchester had become infected with raw sewage at source, thus exonerating Heston Blumenthal from responsibility.
Here came the sun. Or did it?
A weak pound and the promise of a decent summer for once buoyed the industry, which braced itself for a bumper season. But did it come? Well, we had a couple of nice days and yes, visitors did come to the capital, but we won’t be cancelling our summer holiday next year to Barbados as a result.
New tip legislation finally comes into play
New legislation meaning companies would no longer be able to use tips or service charges to make up a minimum salary came into force at the start of October, generating mixed reaction from the industry. While staff in the industry welcomed the new law The British Hospitality Association warned that as many as 45,000 jobs could be lost as a result, with the independent sector “hit the hardest”.
The End of the Line for unsustainable fishing
Award-winning documentaryThe End of the Line made a huge splash when it premiered in June, highlighting the effects of overfishing and the plight of endangered species such as blue fin tuna. Pressure was placed on restaurants that continued to stock blue fin tuna, such as Nobu, with chefs signing up to a campaign to take a more sustainable approach to fish sourcing. The documentary makers made further waves in October when they published findings from looking at menus of more than 100 top restaurants that showed a number of Michelin-starred restaurants served fish on the official red list of endangered species.
London Restaurant Festival is launched
The first London Restaurant Festival, spearheaded by Evening Standard restaurant critic Fay Maschler, kicked off in October with events including a culinary tour of top London Restaurants and dinner on the London Eye served up by Gordon Ramsay. Pierre Koffman’s Restaurant on the Roof at Selfridges was the biggest sensation, with the chef reunited in the kitchen with former colleagues Tom Aikens, Eric Chavot and Tom Kitchin. Such was the restaurant’s success that its run of six days was extended to nearly two months to meet the demand of diners wanting to try Koffmann’s legendary pigs’ trotter dish.
Return to BigHospitality tomorrow as we look back at the hotel sector's major events of the year.