Gareth Ward: “Ynyshir should probably be more expensive”
Speaking to Restaurant earlier this year (see video, below) Ward said that the restaurant with rooms, which is just outside Machynlleth and offers a £380 30-course menu, “should probably be more expensive”.
“To anyone that says the pricing of the restaurant extreme I would say you need to come and have a look at our figures.
“I don’t do a GP on it because I’m scared. We’re using the most ridiculously expensive ingredients in the world. I have 27 members of staff for a 20-cover restaurant. I have 14-and-a-half acres of land that costs a lot of money to run.”
Ward took on the restaurant with rooms in 2013 and has turned it into one of the UK’s most ambitious restaurants. He says his wage bill is around £80,000 a month.
embed-tweet“I’m not sat here like rolling in money. I’m not Scrooge McDuck,” he added.
“Not a penny comes out of this place. Anything we make, which is not a lot, goes straight back in to improve Ynyshir because I want to hopefully push it to be one of the best restaurants in the world one day.
“It’s a passion project. It’s not a money maker at all. I wish it was.”
Meals at Ynyshir take around four hours with guests sitting down at the same time.
The music is loud (Ward employs a full-time DJ) the lighting is more nightclub than dining room and the seating can hardly be described as luxurious.
“It’s my fault, I have made it the way it is,” he said. “I have wanted to push and push - use better ingredients, have more staff, being more extravagant in the things we do to give you the most incredible experience when you come here. But unfortunately, that comes at a cost. Someone needs to pay for it.”
embed-tweetWard said that he wants people to remember Ynyshir as a place where “they had a great fucking time”.
“I want people to say that they had some tasty food and we let their hair down. That they forgot about all the stuff that is going on outside the door and had a great night.”
“When I walk through the doors here, I forget about the world outside. We all have a great time and a laugh. We all love doing what we do, and we do it 100% together every day.
“We’re all super-proud of what we have achieved. I want people to remember Ynyshir and smile.”
