The sun doesn't always shine on TV restaurants
- Andy Lynes 4
You might be forgiven for thinking that a restaurant opened off the back of an eight part, prime time BBC 2 series fronted by one of the UK’s most well known chefs would be a guaranteed success. So the news last week that Eight at the Thatch in Thame in Oxfordshire run by the winners of Raymond Blanc’s The Restaurant had closed after just seven months trading came as something of a surprise.
It wasn’t the first TV related restaurant disaster of the year however. Jamie Oliver’s The Cock at Beazley End in Essex which opened in early 2007 following the Channel 4 series Jamie’s Chef closed in January due to financial difficulties.
Even Gordon Ramsay's sparkling TV career hasn't been entirely free of failure with several of his Kitchen Nightmares turning out to be recurring bad dreams. Momma Cherri’s Soul Shack in Brighton went into administration earlier this year after having apparently been turned around by Ramsay’s consultative expertise. And it took Shaun Hill’s efforts away from the glare of the small screen to revive the fortunes of The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, another establishment that went in to receivership following its appearance on Ramsay’s show.
The BBC’s Great British Menu has no doubt been beneficial to the businesses of many of the chefs who have appeared on it, but not all have come away unscathed. Chris Horridge of The Bath Priory has come under attack for his abrasive on screen manner on food forum eGullet.org where he has been roundly, and rudely criticised for his dismissive attitude towards fellow country house hotel chef Elisha Carter.
Its been reported that Jeremy and Jane Hooper, winners of the first series of The Restaurant are moving back to their home county of Cornwall and intend to set up their own restaurant. But the failure of their Blanc-backed venture puts the integrity of future series of the show into serious question. Can rank amateurs really be transformed into industry-ready personnel capable of running successful catering operation simply though the magic of television? Or are they doomed to be sacrificed on the ratings alter, just so much reality TV fodder.
For the few that get it right, celebrity chef status can be transformed into a viable restaurant empire and a multi-million pound fortune. No doubt Ramsay’s Foxtrot Oscar chain and Oliver’s Jamie’s Italian chain, both coming to a high street near you sometime soon, will benefit hugely from their owners unparalleled media profiles.
But given the restaurant industry’s recent chequered past with TV, is it worth risking the stress and sometimes humiliation that appearing on the small screen can bring? Is it worth jumping through Raymond Blanc’s hoops or being screamed and shouted at by Gordon Ramsay if all that results from it is an hour of toe curling telly?
We’d like to hear about your experiences with the world of TV. Have you been the star of the show, or has your restaurant been used for the filming of a TV show? Has it benefited your business or was it all just a pain in the neck. Click the “add a comment” link below and let us know.
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Comments (4)
Hi Nicola,
Welcome to BigHospitality,
Thanks very much for your insight. As Gordon says, the objective of these programs is entertainment first and career / business development an afterthought at best.
Best of luck with the business, please keep us informed how things go.
Chris.
Dear Sirs,
I read your article “The sun doesn't always shine on TV restaurants”
with great interest. My son Tom and I featured in the first BBC TV programme
" The Restaurant" actually being voted off the programme following a challenge
against the eventual winners Jeremy and Jane. We found the whole experience to
be weighted to that of producing a TV programme and nothing to do with how to
successfully run a business in the very competitive restaurant sector. I have
sympathy for Jeremy and Jane who now have to rebuild their careers and I wish
them well in the future after want I am sure has been a extremely stressful year.
On our part we had researched the restaurant / hospitality market thoroughly
and were looking for premises prior to learning of the Restaurant show. Our
inclusion in the show did nothing for us other than delay our business plan,
Since leaving the show our company Seasons at ltd have opened for business at
The Boot Langford Bedfordshire, Our concept of local, freshly prepared seasonal
food with a regular menu change each month to incorporate this concept fully has been
very well received by our growing customer base. Our continued growth month by month in the current economic climate indicates we are serious about running a successful business with a second site due to open shortly.
For anyone considering becoming a contestant on the next series of "The
Restaurant" or similar I would say, by all means have a go, enjoy the
adventure, just be cautious as to how much you believe the likes of
Raymond Blanc really wishes to help or mentor you. Certainly they are extremely
talented chefs who are able to promote their own images and business and why
not, business is hard at whatever level you perform so Raymond, Gordon, Jamie
all need as much publicity as they can muster, just like anyone else.
So I for one will watch the next series but only if time permits, with our
growing business and new customers arriving everyday my priorities lie in the
real world of business and not the La La land picture given by the TV
production companies.
Good luck to all and I hope to see you at ours for dinner one day soon.
Nicola Nickerson
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I can't agree with Andy more - it's all done for maximum entertainment value rather than a will to actually help these restaurateurs run a viable business.
The Thatch has not closed. It was in fact, very successful, and still has a 2 week waiting list for booking at peak times.
OK, Jeremy and Jane couldn't hack it, but that was obvious from the programme - any how they gave it their best shot and thanks to the professionalism of Peaches and the support they were able to offer, the restaurant itself should continue to thrive as long as the service improves (i.e. no more 'kids' running the bar etc). Its been great for Thame.
Sonja
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