• A London chef sparked controversy online when he criticized restaurant customers who didn’t spend much.
• “Restaurants are not public benches,” Hugh Corcoran wrote on Instagram. saying, leading to praise and criticism.
• He told BI it was “very frustrating” and he had to turn away customers who might spend more.

A London chef has sparked a debate about the cost and culture of eating out after criticizing restaurant customers who don’t spend enough.

Hugh Corcoran, whose lunch spot opened last month and seats just 18 people, wrote on Instagram that it had become “apparently completely normal” for four people to order a starter, two main courses and “a glass of tap water” in between.

“Restaurants are not public benches, you are there to spend some money” He continued his post, which received more than 1,000 likes and 190 comments.. “Hear it, hear it,” one commenter wrote. Another asked: “How many people have the luxury of going out for a boozy lunch in the middle of the week?”

To talk Business Insider’s Corcoran said he’s had to turn away more pleasant people because of diners who don’t order as much.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the atmosphere and coming in with a ‘we’re here to have fun’ attitude,” he said.

“It’s not like we’re struggling financially because of these people. Maybe there’s one or two people a week, but it’s very frustrating for us,” he added.

Inside a follow-up Instagram postCorcoran argued that eating out is a luxury you should save money on, and suggested people order “at least one plate per person and maybe a few glasses of wine or dessert” and spend between 40 and 100 pounds (about $50 to $130). – per person.

Corcoran told BI that his restaurant, The Yellow Bittern, is “a place where foodies, wine and food lovers can come and enjoy themselves, not just for a quick lunch.” Payment is by cash only – a rarity in card-friendly London – and reservations can only be made in person, by phone or by postcard.

A positive review he compared the experience to going “to lunch in 1982.” There is a bookstore on site. Corcoran runs the establishment along with a magazine editor and a bookseller.

Restaurant consultant and industry commentator James Hacon told BI that life is tough for restaurants in London at the moment.

“Restaurants are already on a knife edge at this point,” he said. “There are very few people in the restaurant industry doing anything meaningful from a profit standpoint.”

He said the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of inflation on food costs had taken a hit.

Hacon added that the hospitality industry is also dealing with minimum wage increases and preparing for the recently announced National Insurance increase, the UK earnings tax.

In a joint letter to the UK government, more than 200 hospitality bosses said the increase would mean job losses and rising prices even if diners can’t afford them. The Guardian reported on Sunday.

Some restaurants have insisted on large minimum expenditures, while others Using data from booking sites Prioritizing big spenders.

Hacon said there are ways to overcome the impact of restaurant customers only asking for starters and water.

He cited examples such as set menus, insisting on minimum spend for larger groups and offering diners opportunities to “swap” for fancier plates and wines as soon as they walked through the door.

“When the sun shines, it’s time to make hay,” he said.