Michelin Madness

So, you go out for a meal at your favourite place; this used to happen January but now it occurs in late August. You order your food, drink your wine and go home well fed and think to yourself, "that was really good value for money and really great food and service." 

A few weeks pass and you notice in the paper/online/on this very blog that the restaurant you went to has been awarded a Michelin star. Whether it be its first, second or third, you immediately think "Great! Good for them!" and then go about your business.

The honeymoon period usually lasts three to five weeks when you decide to book again. This time be prepared for a nasty nasty not-so-surprising surprise. Price hikes are rife in the land of Michelin. With inflation still at 2.7% it can be hard for the average consumer to comprehend the seemingly astronomical price rises of up to 25% in some cases; the answer is simply the M-word.

Michelin is responsible for this, solely. Raymond Blanc famously said in the documentary "Michelin Madness" that if you gain a star, it makes sense to put your prices up. This seems strange as Sitwell mentions in said documentary, "you instantly pay more for what, has been examined by various inspectors, has been served in exactly the same setting, exactly the same service and eating the exact same level of cooking consistently for the past few months." 

I have always wondered what I would do if I had a restaurant with an accolade. From the management point of view, surely prices would have to go up. I'd probably wait until the New Year when everyone is too drunk to remember how much they paid for a meal in the previous year, and also so I wouldn't look so greedy putting them up overnight as Sitwell complains about. Price-wise, why not considering keeping it the same. Let's have an honest think about this; a lot of restaurants have free tables at times, especially in London early-mid-week. Monday-Wednesday lunch and dinner are some of the least popular days to go out for a meal, fact. Gaining an accoldae would allow you to put more bums on seats, instantly boosting revenue by being more economically efficient, simply through using the same time, same space to do more. Restaurants such as the Hand and Flowers in Marlow have a full house, all day every day. And their prices haven't moved much. Better to have loyal customers who will be in over Summer, another quiet period in London's restaurant scene, than a customer base made up purely of one-offs. Good to have them, but not a 100% of your target audience.

Greed is the issue; restaurants are often manned by astute business investors who use them to boost their capital. They want more buck for their bang. This policy is fine, however it is painful for the diner. The regular is the one who will be hurt; as their expenditure will rise, they wil most likely come less frequently. For the loyalty the regulars have shown over the a period of time, it is a big slap in the face to be faced with such large prices rises. 25% just isn't a good idea. But you then think of Freddos by Cadbury, whose prices have increased by 100% from 10p to 20p, I guess you can count your blessings. 

Rant over.

Sorry I lied. Here is a list of price rises in the past few years that you should make note of.

Ramsay Holdings: generally £5 increase every 2 years on every menu in Royal Hospital Road and Petrus. Stomachable.

The Greenhouse: £6 on lunch menu, £10 A La Carte, £8 Tasting 25% lunch menu increase, bitches say whaaaaat?

Pollen Street Social; clever way of doing it as dishes are individually priced. So there is no "index" to track as the prices rise. £1 here, £3 there, it is stealth inflation but still noticeable.

Le Manoix: home of the most expensive menu in Britain (and only 2 stars) This place's prices are due a hike, so watch this space. It's at times like this that one is grateful they haven't been given a third star yet, be prepared for the menu to break the £200 mark. Trust me, it WILL happen eventually.

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester: not so much a price rise complaint in this instance but more of a value-for-money quibble. You are paying for the name and the truffle. That's about it really.

On the upside, prices are still better than they are in Paris.

Rant over.

I lied again.

Lunch menus in London average out around the £35 mark. The worst value menus are those in the 3 star bracket. RHR is a whopping £55. For lunch. £54 at Le Gavroche (2 star) and £55 for Alain Ducasse. The latter two do come with wine, but still. For lunch? Really? Paying for the experience I guess. 

Better lunch benchmark SHOULD be £30 for 3 courses, preferably with Amuse Bouche peripherals etc. 

Okay I'm done.

I lied again.

Just kidding. You guys are so easy to trick, so serious all the time.