The Good Food Guide to return after being bought by CODE Hospitality
The guide, which was previously owned by Waitrose & Partners, ceased publication earlier in the year during the pandemic, but will once again be published following the purchase. Elizabeth Carter, who has worked with the publication since the 1990s and has been editor since 2007, will remain as its editor.
CODE, a hospitality community that was founded by Adam Hyman in 2013, says it will use its position to continue to develop The Good Food Guide, while growing its digital offering.
The Good Food Guide will continue to operate as it has done for the past 70 years with inspectors dining anonymously and their bills being paid in full by the Guide. Restaurants will continue only to be included in the guide based on their own merits.
A 2022 paper guide will be published next year, although no date has been set yet, and CODE says it will also be giving it more of a digital presence including a weekly newsletter, which will launch shortly.
“I’ve long respected The Good Food Guide in continuing to not only champion hospitality but to publish authoritative, reliable guides year-on-year since 1951”, says CODE founder Adam Hyman.
“I’m excited to now own such an iconic brand that we can evolve under respected editor Elizabeth Carter, with her extensive experience as an inspector and knowledge of restaurants. We will continue to produce a 2022 Guide at a time when the industry needs championing most as it recovers after the pandemic.”
The Good Food Guide was first produced in 1951 by Raymond Postgate and is considered to be one of the most influential eating-out guides in the UK.
Published annually, the guide was completely rewritten and compiled from scratch each year using a combination of reader reviews and anonymous expert inspections.
It has been owned by Waitrose since 2013 but its last publication was the 2020 guide with the company announcing that it would not be producing a 2021 edition.
“A new lease of life - what a great 70th birthday present for The Good Food Guide. It’s been a gruelling time for the restaurant business and after watching from the side lines for 19 months I’m thrilled to be getting back to work,” says Carter.
“For the very first time the guide will be part of a community for the hospitality industry and I’m looking forward to experiencing fresh thinking, discussing new ideas and, of course, eating some delicious food.”
Martin George, customer director at Waitrose & Partners says: “We are proud to have been associated with The Good Food Guide for the past eight years and grateful to everyone who has contributed to it. We will always be an advocate of British food and celebrate the outstanding array of talented chefs and restaurants we have here. The much-loved publication will remain available in our shops and we continue to look at ways we can support it through our other marketing channels.”
“The calibre of CODE Hospitality’s industry expertise and dedicated membership provides the perfect home for the guide with their exciting plans promising to expand its readership and further strengthen the brand.”
