Displaying posts tagged with 'the restaurant inspector'

Channel 5 series The Restaurant Inspector returns tonight for a second series with Fernando Peire, director at London’s iconic The Ivy restaurant, visiting six ailing restaurants and offering them advice to help turn their businesses around.

Restaurants featuring in this year’s show include Piccadilly Spice (formerly The Maharaja Tandoori) in Soho, Iggs in Edinburgh, Zanzibar Restaurant in Sheffield (previously known as UK Mama) and The Black Lion Inn in Halland, near Lewes (previously known as Tarragon).

We spoke to Fernando ahead of the show:

With the current economic climate, do you think diners are becoming more discerning?

I think that many people are being more careful with their money but not everyone. There are still some big spenders out there, especially in London. I do think that people are more and more discerning about service, however, and expect to be treated well and served with a smile by people who know what they are doing. Good hospitality and service is what sets restaurants apart.

What are the most common problems you find with restaurants?

Owners who are out of touch with the marketplace and too ego-driven; prices too high; menus too long; a lack of thought in the layout and style of the place; owners lacking in self-awareness and empathy.

What would be your advice be to anyone starting out in the restaurant business today?

Only invest your own money if you have had the experience of making money for someone else. Then apply the same rules. Investigate your market and look at the competition before you decide what to do. Try to look at your offer from the perspective of potential customers. Listen to your customers and get to know them. Employ only staff who enjoy making other people happy.

First impressions count – what would make you walk away from a restaurant without even going through the door?

If the place looks dirty, if there is someone standing outside trying to drag you in, any mention in the window of awards, if I look through the window and see a napkin on a table in the shape of a dying swan, any mention of “foam” on the menu… So many things!

Where is good to eat right now?

I like simple places with tasty food. Old favourites:

Yalla Yalla for Lebanese mid-afternoon, 500 for Italian on a Sunday, Busaba Eathai for Thai-Asian any time; Joe Allen for after-theatre burger and burgundy; Centre Point Sushi for raw fish lunch; Cote for Steak & Chips before theatre; the Riding House Cafe for breakfast; and The Running Footman for a cheap Mayfair lunch.

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The Restaurant Inspector series 2 is on Channel 5, Thursdays at 21:00. You can share your comments on the series and the restaurants featured below.