L’Encume has only just arrived in the culinary Olympus and is now one of the few three-star restaurants on the British Isles. But the first shitstorm was not long in coming. It’s the fault of the restaurant itself.
They wanted to feast, but instead got a bitter pill to swallow. Guests who had booked a menu in a British starred restaurant recently had to deal with an enormous price increase that spoiled their appetite. Instead of the equivalent of just under 90 euros, the gourmets are now suddenly supposed to shell out almost 300 euros for the booked menu – the shitstorm was not long in coming.
For a starred restaurant, the offer that L’Encume recently offered its guests was almost a bargain. Gourmets got a nine-course lunch menu there for just under 90 euros. In the evening there was 16 courses for 230 euros. That’s enough of that. Because just after the gourmet temple was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide restaurant testers, the prices were improved. 90 became 120 euros, 230 became almost 300 euros. And then the lunch menu was eliminated altogether. Anyone who still wanted to make use of their reservation had to switch to the evening menu, and a 90-euro meal quickly became three times as expensive.
Increased prices: rip-off or necessity?
The restaurant in the southeast of the island explains the increase in price with increased costs. The price increase has nothing to do with the third star. It was a “purely economic” decision, said managing director Sam Ward “The Times”. But does that justify tripling the price? At least some guests are not willing to pay so much more for the culinary experience. On Tripadvisor, some of them vent. A Brit writes that he thinks it’s impudent that he made a reservation when the old conditions were still valid, but still had to pay the new prices. Another had to cancel completely because, he reports, he could no longer afford the new prices.
While guests suspect usury, Ward speaks of necessity. The restaurant had to react to increased costs. “If you pay people well and buy good ingredients, then that costs money,” he explains. The alternative was to lose money. In March and April, the restaurant was faced with “astronomical costs” and lost money despite many bookings.
L’Encume is one of the seven three star restaurants in the UK. The menu changes seasonally. Many ingredients that are sold are grown on the associated farm.
Quelle: The Times, DailyMail
