"It has become clear to me that the restaurant world I've known for decades is radically changing through a combination of factors: people's working patterns, health obsessions, the falling out of love with alcohol and the falling in love with pastries and bread, but, predominantly, the affordability of it all. The numbers are genuinely frightening: in my restaurants, utility costs are up more than 50% since 2019; chocolate prices have doubled; olive oil is up 121%; even spring onions are up 55% spring onions!"
"Some solutions are radical, some simple, some totally bonkers and some are really working. Rotisserie chicken is suddenly everywhere: Norbert's in East Dulwich; Cocotte expanding beyond its Notting Hill site; Chick'n'Sours pivoting toward rotisserie; newcomers such as Chicken Shop. It hits every pressure point: affordable protein, simple prep, fast turnover. Half a chicken and sides for 15 feels like good value when everything else has become expensive and fiddly."
London's eating-out landscape is being transformed by sharply rising costs and changing consumer priorities. Utility bills, staple ingredient prices and rent increases are forcing restaurants to rethink menus, formats and pricing. Many diners have cut non-essential spending, with eating out one of the first expenses reduced. Shifts in habits include less drinking, greater interest in health, and renewed enthusiasm for pastries and bread, which affects what operators offer. Some businesses respond with low-cost, high-turnover options such as rotisserie chicken, while others experiment with different models; diverse approaches reflect the economic squeeze and creative adaptation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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