Sat Bains has announced he'll be raising prices and stopping mid-week lunch service at his Nottingham restaurant in 2022.
The chef follows others in the fine dining world to move away from lunch, which has been sparse in parts of hospitality since Covid - many will remember Michel Roux Jr. doing the same last year following staffing problems and other pandemic-related difficulties.
Bains is being positive about the move. Saturday lunches will continue, as will dinner service as before. “Very exciting times and changes are coming in 2022,” he said. “Never stop evolving, striving, growing”. Probably the most noticeable move is the price of Bains’ tasting menus. The £155 ten-course option will be £195 this year. It includes new dishes, new presentation, and will arrive alongside changes to the dining area, bar and lounge.
We are likely to see more of this in 2022 as restaurants work to recover from lockdown, restrictions, and customer confidence taking a hammering. The approach is of the mantra that less is more and, cliché as it is, quality over quantity. It makes sense with fewer chefs and front of house about and some customers still tentative about going out. Best of luck to one of the country's finest.
First published in our sister publication CODE Hospitality
