So, 2009, waddya reckon?
I thought that it was going to be the year in which the restaurant industry was turned into so much sausage meat. I am happy to say that I got it wrong. There have been lots of big name implosions in England. An article in Caterer and Hotelkeeper examines them here.
However, certainly in Scotland’s Central Belt, there has been the usual churn of businesses opening and closing but nothing significantly different from any other year. I know of at least fifty new businesses that have opened in both Edinburgh and Glasgow and suspect that there are plenty that I’ve missed.
Taking a brief glance through 5pm’s Glasgow listings and Slumdog Bar and Kitchen, Sapporo Teppanyaki, Urban Pind, the Blind Pig and The Partners’ Italian Bistro are all large restaurants which have had the confidence to open their doors this year. Other smaller but no less important operations to have joined up include The Dining Room, Cafezique and The City Merchant.
On the other side of the M8, restaurants like Agua, Calistoga Central, Cucina, Elliot’s, ESI Brasserie, Hotel Du Vin Brasserie, L’Artichaut, Tapa, The Saint, The West Room and Tony’s Table are all newcomers to 5pm and Edinburgh’s restaurant scene within the last year.
All these new openings don’t mean that every restaurant is booming but the smart ones are cutting their cloth to suit the economic climate. For the scoffing public, the recession has meant deals galore from restaurants and your trusty 5pm has helped set up many a happy date between hungry diners and restaurateurs keen to see bums on seats.