A chef has started a furious row after accusing customers of ‘window dining’ by sharing plates and not ordering drinks.
Hugh Corcoran, who runs the Yellow Bittern on London‘s Caledonian Road, launched an angry rant on Instagram saying that sharing plates have ‘ruined dining’ and that it’s ‘not worth opening’ for people only willing to spend ‘£25 a head’.
The Belfast-born restaurateur took to Instagram to accuse customers of ‘just eating radishes’ and ‘drinking tap water’ at the restaurant-cum-bookshop he opened last month.
He said that it had become normal for ‘a table of four to order one starter and four mains to share’.
‘Restaurants are not public benches, you are there to spend some money,’ he wrote.
”And in the case that a plate of radishes is enough for you and your three friends for lunch, then perhaps an allotment would be a better investment than a table at a restaurant,’.
‘There was at one point an etiquette in restaurants that if you booked a table in a nice place you at the very least had to order a main course (and possibly even a starter or dessert) and drink wine in order your table to be worth serving.
‘For example, we do to the effort of dressing the table, of picking and arranging the flowers, of polishing the glasses etc and reserve the table for 2 hours for someone to order a meal which ends up costing £25 a head.
Hugh Corcoran (left), who runs the Yellow Bittern on London ‘s Caledonian Road, launched an angry rant on Instagram saying that sharing plates have ‘ruined dining’ and that it’s ‘not worth opening’ for people only willing to spend ‘£25 a head’
The Belfast-born restaurateur took to Instagram to accuse customers of ‘just eating radishes’ and ‘drinking tap water’ at the restaurant-cum-bookshop he opened last month (pictured)
‘It’s not worth us opening. We can either jack up the prices, punishing everyone else for those who don’t play by the rules, or simply not have our types of tiny, family run restaurants anymore,’.
While some restaurateurs agreed with him, many were quick to brand him ‘tone deaf’.
‘When you come to a restaurant, it is expected that you are there to eat and drink with some sort of abandon. ‘A grand cru to drink and a Beaujolais Villages to rinse the mouth’ (It is of course different in a no-booking cafe or bar sort of environment),’ he wrote.
‘So at the very least, order correctly, drink some wine, and justify your presence in the room that afternoon.
‘If you do not drink because you have done so to such excess that it cannot be permitted any longer, then come hungry and eat your fair share.
‘This justification of one’s presence is something which I have always been acutely conscious of whether it be a docker’s bar in Belfast or a Michelin starred restaurant in the Basque Country’.
Restaurant news website Hot Dinners wrote: ‘Can 100% promise we’ll be eating a lot more than a plate of radishes when we come in’.
Other people were quick to point out that the restaurant – which is cash only – is only open for lunch and is closed at the weekend
Other people were quick to point out that the restaurant – which is cash only – is only open for lunch and is closed at the weekend, perhaps meaning people don’t want to drink as much.
‘Hahaha this is so f****** tone deaf. How many people have the luxury of going out for a boozy lunch midweek?
‘Let alone can afford the £150 cash for a meal for two with wine and service? What about people who don’t drink or maybe they don’t want to drink midweek?
‘Maybe with better opening hours people might choose to order alcohol or spend a bit more? The entitlement here is crazy. Diners do not owe you anything.
‘The idea that because you have opened a book shop with a lunch menu people have to order the whole menu and wine AND pay cash for it? If only you accepted card maybe we could run up some debt at your fine establishment.
‘I’m sure an intelligent book worm like yourself doesn’t need to be pointed out the state of the economy right now. At least you’ve seen sense and dropped the price on the soup and radishes. We’re getting closer to £1 a radish. Hallelujah.,’
Another added: ‘Couldn’t disagree more with this and extremely depressing to see the amount of ‘hospitality’ professionals liking this post.
Hugh slammed dining culture in a furious Instagram rant.
‘Just a quick suggestion before I unfollow that to avoid your disappointment at the paltry amount of money people are willing to part with in your establishment you could simply state in advance the amount of money folks are expected to spend?
‘That should go some way to sorting the cultured bon vivants from the skinflints eh? Good luck to you.’.
‘Sounds like you’ve only just realised lunchtime weekday trade won’t pay the rent,’ said another.
The restaurant is cash-only and only open 10am-6pm, Monday – Friday.
It has no website or social media and customers have to call a landline, or send a postcard, to book a table.
In a second post, he slammed ‘aggressive and personal attacks’ following his statements.
In a follow up, he said no one ‘has the right’ to eat in beautiful restaurants’
‘What I spoke about was the simple fact that a restaurant keeps its doors open by selling food and drink.
‘If people take up space in it but do not consume then the restaurant does not make any money. It is as simple as that,’ he wrote.
‘Our restaurant has 18 seats and no staff. We are three partners sharing the load equally. We are not out to line our pockets but do want to be able to comfortably pay rent each month.
‘Anyone is welcome there of course but for the price of what it costs to dine there. A normal meal will cost somewhere between 40-100 pounds a head depending on the wine you drink.
‘What I mean by a normal meal is at least one plate per person and perhaps a few glasses of wine or a dessert.
‘We have regulars already who come in and sit alone and pay £40. They are our most treasured guests.
‘These are not prices, alluded to by some, only accessible to the upper classes. In fact any member of the organised working class can afford a meal such as this once a week or once a month. We have had several union members in enjoying the fruits of their well paid labours.
The restaurant serves British and Irish food (pictured)
‘This is also about atmosphere. An atmosphere of conviviality and abandon to the pleasures of food and drink. This is what I encourage. Not the timid and meagre approach to the table, but one of joy and celebration. Yes, I will have pudding. And a chartreuse too!
‘There is no right to eating in beautiful restaurants. There should be inalienable human rights to food, to housing, to education, to heat, to clean water, to nature. But even in the Soviet Union, where all these things were a right, restaurants were not a right. It was and is still a luxury. Something to save up for and dress up for.
‘When you go to the theatre, you pay per seat. You cannot share a seat.
‘But then again people today eat malteasers in the third row and talk over the actors and wear the T-shirt they slept in to visit the theatre. So yes maybe all manners and etiquette are dead,’.
Femail has contacted Hugh for comment.
Hugh, who was born in Belfast and trained in Basque Country previously said he was ‘adamant’ that if he wasn’t there, the restaurant was closed.
He spoke Interview Magazine last week: ‘ on’t like restaurants and bars where the owner isn’t there. I may ruffle some feathers by saying this, but the idea of these guys who just open restaurants and then.. .They’ve got a restaurant full of diners, and they’re off playing tennis with their mates.
The restaurant, which is co-owned by Oisín Davies and Frances Armstrong-Jones,has previously been described as the ‘most eccentric in London’ and ‘fabulously analogue’. It serves the likes of Basque leek and potato soup, roast guinea fowl with vegetables.
Restaurant owner Nima Safaei (pictured outside his London establishment 40 Dean Street) is now considering offering smaller sizes to avoid losing any potential customers who are on the weight loss drug
Speaking to Hot Dinners ahead of its opening in October, Hugh said: ‘The food will be hardy and the wine will be plentiful. Boozy lunches are very much encouraged.’
‘It’s not a fantastic business plan – luncheons, wines and obscure books – but if we can live off it, ply our trade and continue doing what we love that’s all we ask.’
It comes after Nima Safaei – the founder of 40 Dean Street and 64 Old Compton Street in London – said that his restaurants are currently grappling with the rise of Ozempic, which has been used by celebrities including Sharon Osbourne, Rebel Wilson and Tracy Morgan.
He told FEMAIL: ‘We’ve definitely noticed a shift in how people are dining with us. More customers are coming in just for drinks or ordering a couple of starters to share, and we’re seeing fewer three-course meals.
‘Sometimes we do wonder why people come in if they’re not particularly hungry, but we understand that it’s about the social experience and enjoying an evening with friends.’
As a result, Nima is now considering offering smaller sizes to avoid losing any potential customers who are on the weight loss drug.
He continued: ‘There’s definitely an idea to consider reducing portion sizes to accommodate these new dining trends, allowing everyone to enjoy a variety of flavours while still connecting over a meal.’
What’s more, Andrew Gray – who is the founder of Fables & Company – said that there ‘simply isn’t demand for larger dishes’ in their three wine bars, Plume, Finch and Quill.
The expert said: ‘Our guests increasingly prefer smaller portions.
‘Large dishes can be a bit antisocial and leave people feeling too full, which isn’t ideal for a night out.’
Andrew Gray – who is the founder of Fables & Company – said that there ‘simply isn’t demand for larger dishes’ in their London three wine bars, Plume, Finch (pictured) and Quill
However, the phenomenon isn’t strictly confined to the UK – with US-based establishments also revealing that they’ve had to adapt their approach to keep up the rise of Ozempic.
A talent agent who represents several household names previously told the MailOnline: ‘All the restaurants in Beverly Hills are now offering smaller portions because everyone is on Ozempic and can’t finish big steaks and bowls of pasta any more.
‘It’s not something they advertise because no one admits they are taking Ozempic, but everyone is on it so the restaurants are adapting and offering smaller dishes, half portions or dishes to share.
‘You’re seeing a lot of expensive things like caviar and oysters making a return to the menu. People can’t eat much because Ozempic makes them feel full faster, so if they are going to eat they want it to be a luxury experience.’
Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy work by triggering the body to bind to a receptor called the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a protein that triggers the release of hormones in the brain which keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings
At Spago, known as the ‘restaurant to the stars’, in LA, chef Wolfgang Puck will ‘willingly reduce portion sizes on request’.
A source at the restaurant said: ‘Most people still come here for special occasions and want to enjoy our fabulous food, but if a customer requests a smaller portion of course we will accommodate that. We’re happy to offer smaller plates to anyone who asks.’
In New York, Nello – an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side – introduced ‘tapas’ versions of their mains to encourage customers to venture beyond the starter section.
Before the eatery permanently shut in March 2024 due to unpaid rent, owner Thomas Makkos told the New York Post last year: ‘People have been leaving a lot of food at the table.’
Meanwhile, Sammy Musovic – owner of Sojourn and Sojourn Social in NYC – is now giving his clientele the option to remove sides from mains to no longer ‘overwhelm’ customers on Ozempic.
The restaurant owner explained: ‘Customers have been saying that the food was amazing but they feel full — we don’t want them to be overwhelmed if they aren’t hungry.’
Pictured: Nima Safaei – the founder of 40 Dean Street and 64 Old Compton Street in London – said that his restaurants are currently grappling with the rise of Ozempic
Stock photo of women enjoying a meal in a restaurant. Earlier this year, a survey by Morgan Stanley found 63 per cent of people on Ozempic are ordering considerably less while dining out than they were before they being prescribed the drug
On top of this, Ozempic users have also reported how alcohol consumption has left them feeling nauseous, which could also have an affect on restaurants’ profits.
In March, Stephen Fry appeared on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast – where he revealed the drug caused him to throw up multiple times a day and went off drinking.
He explained: ‘I tried Ozempic years ago; I’m an early adopter of these things. I happened to be in America, and I’d read about it, and I asked my doctor in America, my physician as they like to call them, and he said, “I think I can get you some.”
‘He tried me on it, and the first week or so, I was thinking, “This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don’t want any alcohol of any kind. This is going to be brilliant.”
‘Then I started feeling sick, and I started getting sicker and sicker and sicker. I was literally throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, “I can’t do this.” So that’s it.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .