Writing for Great British Chefs - Suffolk Restaurant Guide

Look out for my Food Lovers Guide to Suffolk on Great British Chefs… with a guide to Norfolk coming soon.

The complete foodie guide to Suffolk

Polly Robinson takes us on a tour of her home county of Suffolk, highlighting the best places to eat in this sleepy, laidback part of East Anglia.

Great British Chefs - Suffolk Restaurant Guide >

Speaking and Hosting at the Theatre of Food, Latitude Festival

Polly Robinson speaking at Latitude Festival.

When you’re invited to speak at one of the UK’s favourite Festival - Latitude - it would be rude to say no! In July I took part in a panel discussion at Latitude’s Theatre of Food and hosted demonstrations from chefs from across the UK.

Latitude’s Theatre of Food curated by FoodHaus Productions was new in 2018 and swiftly became a hugely popular part of the festival’s programme with cookery demonstrations and panel discussions from chefs, food writers and campaigners including the team from Sustain and the Real Bread Campaign.

I was honoured to be invited to take part in a panel discussion about the food and drink of East Anglia and the chance to talk about issues close to my heart. I also hosted sessions with chef Richard Bainbridge from Benedicts in Norwich, Georgina Hayden and a brilliant cooking on fire demo from the fabulous Lord Logs - aka Mark Parr of the London Log Company and his partner cookery writer and stylist Natalie Seldon, Pretty Edible Stylist. I also hosted a Q&A with one of my absolute favourite Suffolk food producers, Jonathan Crickmore of the Fen Farm Dairy, producers of Baron Bigod - to one of the biggest audiences of the weekend keen to taste the incredible cheese, butter and raw milk.

It was brilliant to see such huge audience for these demos especially when there’s so much going on at the festival all weekend and it demonstrates the genuine growing interest in learning about food from people of all ages and walks of life.

Polly Robinson is available for talks, panels and to host workshops and demonstrations. Please get in touch.

Food Trends 2019 - 10 ingredients to watch

Brexit is expected to have a major impact on the food we eat. Costs will rise for both imported and home-produced produce. Here are 10 ingredients you can expect to see more of in 2019.

1. BREAD IS BACK

Bread has traditionally been served in restaurants as just a bit of an afterthought, a distraction while you browsed the menu. Now bread is moving into the spotlight and served a start course in its own right. More restaurants will be baking using heritage grains and British wheat and producing their own butter to serve with it.

2. CANNABIS

Yes, you read that right! Cannabidiol oil (CBD), a legal extract from cannabis, is popping up on menus and cocktail lists around the UK. Advocates are trying to establish CBD as part of the mainstream and it’s making it’s way in to everything from your gin and tonic to your brownies!

3. VINEGAR

Put the Sarsons on hold…. vinegar is going artisan with small batch producers refining it to produce unique and characterful flavours linked to terroir and the seasons. Pickling has been fashionable for a few years and in 2019 drinking vinegars and shrubs will become more prominent.

4. ROOT VEGETABLES

The rise of vegetable-led cooking is leading to innovation and the rediscovery of underrated vegetables especially root vegetables. New approaches to cooking the likes of celeriac, swede and beetroot see them take centre-stage.

5. THE AVOCADO BACKLASH

With one small cafe’s announcement that it was banning avocado in favour of more sustainable and locally sourced produce, a steady stream of others have followed and we predict consumers will respond to this increased awareness by choosing alternatives to what they put on their toast.

6. BRITISH SHELLFISH

Whatever happens with Brexit and its impact on UK fishing, we expect to see more sustainable British shellfish (mussels, razor clams, crab and oysters) on menus in 2019 - arguably more sustainable than meat and more appealing than insects.

7. MUSHROOMS

In 2018 Jackfruit was the veg that replaced meat in vegan and vegetarian dishes, but buyers at New Covent Garden predict that the ‘meaty’ vegetable of 2019 will be mushrooms, not the bland button sort but the likes of Hen of the Woods, Beefsteak and other Puffballs which have a firm texture and strong flavour.

8. AGEING MEAT & FISH

2019 will continue to see chefs put fewer ingredients on the plate while creating more ways to pack them with flavour. Ageing breaks down enzymes producing deeper flavour and improved texture. At Michelin-starred Ynyshir in Wales, Gareth Ward ages his beef for 300 days in a Himalayan salt chamber and is now experimenting with ageing fish in the same way.

9. WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WHEY

The effort to reduce food waste includes finding new uses from by products that are usually discarded. Whey is a byproduct of cheese making, the liquid left after the milk has been curdled and strained. Chefs are discovering new ways to use whey as an alternative to stock in creamy soups, in bread backing and deserts.

10. ICE CREAM INNOVATION

No longer the after-thought at the bottom of the menu or on the side of other deserts, chefs are innovating with ice cream flavours and textures - look out for savoury ice creams like tahini or cheese.

2019 UK Restaurant Trends and Predictions

Read my 2020 UK Restaurant Trends and Predictions on my new post >

2019 begins with great political and economic uncertainty but what does it hold for the restaurant industry?

The uncertainty is causing a decline in the share of UK consumers eating out, as we show greater prudence with our discretionary spend. According to a new poll by YouGov, almost a third of Britons are visiting restaurants less frequently than last year. The number of lunches eaten out of home in November 2018 was the second lowest on record, after a 3% year-on-year fall, while growth at other meal-times was stagnant according to MCA’s recently launched UK Restaurant Market Report 2018 – conducted via online consumer surveys, analysis of MCA’s market sizing and company specific research.

Here are my predictions for what we’ll see, or see more of in 2019. It will be very interesting to see how these trends in the restaurant sector will play out in 2019.

1. FOOD WASTE

Reducing food waste has been a hot topic for some time. Silo in Brighton became Britain’s first zero-waste restaurant when it opened in 2014 and now others are following suit. 2019 will be the year that restaurants will have to take action and demonstrate to customers that they are tackling the problem. Until now consumers have been increasingly aware of the food wasted in their homes and by supermarkets, this year the attention will turn to restaurants. “If people weren’t already persuaded by the environmental and social impact of food waste, the economic argument has begun to sound persuasive,” says Andrew Stephen, chief executive at the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), which reports that more than 80% of its members now separate their food waste (a proportion that falls to two-thirds for independents).

According to Wrap (The waste reduction organisation) food waste represents a cost to the restaurant sector alone of £682 million each year including food procurement, labour, utilities and waste management costs, or £3,500 per tonne. Wrap estimates that 51% of all waste is recycled. This is made up of: 65% of packaging and other wastes are recycled. Rates of food waste going to composting or to anaerobic digestion (AD) are very low. Almost 900,000 perfectly edible, freshly prepared meals end up in the bin in the UK every day because they haven’t been sold in time by restaurants and cafes according to food waste app Too Good To Go.

Numerous new schemes and technologies are now on the market to help hospitality businesses reduce food waste, such as and Too Good To Go, an app that enables people to buy food from restaurants that would otherwise go to waste. The smart way to deal with food waste is to reduce, recycle and reuse, whether that’s through creative use of leftovers or taking it back to the farmer’s field where it began as compost.

2. PLANT-BASED DINING

The rise of veganism is not news but will only grow stronger in 2019. Plant-based, vegetable-led dining will become even more mainstream. Some hospitality businesses have refused to adapt claiming vegetarianism and veganism is just a passing fad, yet 2019 will be the year that we have to embrace plant-based food as a development that is not going away. Winners will respond by giving vegetable-led dishes equal status on their menus while not alienating meat eaters. It’s not just the increase in vegans and vegetarians but also those of us choosing a ‘flexitarian’ approach.

According to Waitrose & Partners Food & Drink Report 2019 one in eight of us – or almost 13% of the population – is now vegetarian or vegan, with one in five (21%) identifying as ‘flexitarian’. For the first time, The Good Food Guide 2019 by Waitrose & Partners has highlighted restaurants with specifically vegan menus - a list that reaches 107.

With vegetables as centre stage, we’re seeing great innovation to introduce new flavours and textures. Once underrated home-grown vegetables like celeriac and swede rise in prominence, while others like avocado will see a demise as we become aware of their environmental impact.

3. THE BLUE PLANET EFFECT

Once seen never forgotten, BBC One’s Blue Planet II made us all wake up to the impact that plastic is having on our environment, not least the scenes of albatrosses feeding their young plastic. Waitrose & Partner’s research suggests that of those of us who saw the programme 88% of us have changed our behaviour as a result marking a new era of environmental awareness. Consumers will question restaurants’ use of plastics as well as the food industry and retailers and will demand an end to single-use plastics.

We’re already seeing a backlash against plastic straws and a search for practical alternatives. The take-away and street-food sector will be forced to rethink packaging to find sustainable alternatives, not only take-away cups but also food carriers and cutlery. In restaurant kitchens, chefs will have to find alternatives to storage materials like cling film. The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) has lunched a guide to help hospitality business find viable alternatives and make decisions and held an sent Unwrapping Plastic Use and Misuse in Hospitality.

Skye Gyngell from Spring restaurant in London said that the issue had been brought into focus after she worked out that since opening Spring her team had used enough clingfilm to stretch from their central London location to Istanbul. Gyngell said: “Single-use plastic is a really serious issue, but we shouldn’t be catastrophising it. Instead, we should recognise that we are better off now than we were 50 years ago and face up to the fact that this is our challenge, our problem to solve now. It’s also really important to understand that it’s nowhere near as hard you think to use less plastic.”

4. TRANSPARENCY & TRUST

As consumers become more concerned about the environmental and health impacts of their diet, transparency is key. Consumers will demand clear information about raw ingredients such as the use of controversial products like Palm Oil, the farming standards (organic, free range etc) of the food on their plates and the specific sources of meat, dairy and vegetables.

After years of the media revealing the less than savoury truths about the food industry, consumers want to know what’s really in the food they’re eating and they’re more likely to pledge loyalty to brands that they can trust. Consumers know they have a choice, and will always prefer brands that take an extra moment to cater to their needs such as a simple “GF” next to gluten-free dishes on the menu.

Consumers will ask questions about the food they are buying. The best operators will provide the answers and address consumer concerns. Chefs should prioritise shorter supply chain sustainability and ensure that all staff front of house and in the kitchen can talk confidently about their sourcing.

5. CALORIE COUNTING

As part of the Government’s goal of cutting childhood obesity, Public Health England has proposed guidelines to impose calorie caps on ready meals, sandwiches and restaurant dishes The announcement has largely been met with derision by the industry with chefs like my client Andrew Sheridan, from Sosban in Llanelli telling The Telegraph: “The world's gone absolutely bananas. It would take the enjoyment out of it. Going out for a nice meal is supposed to be indulgent, you don't want to be sitting there counting calories."

It seems like an impossible ask for small independent restaurants to carry the burden of the nation’s growing obesity epidemic. But for the mass market where portions are often unnecessarily large it's important to know the nutritional content of the food we're eating, not just calories but also fat and salt.

The guidelines are only at consultation stage and how, if at all, they are implemented remains to be seen, yet restaurants should be aware of the debate and consumer expectations.

6. SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

2018 saw a well-documented shake up of the casual dining sector. Perhaps one of the positive outcomes of which has been the way that it’s allowed the independent sector to shine. Today’s cynical consumers see through brand gimmicks and chainy sameyness and seek authenticity and individuality. In 2018 restaurant sector growth was greatest in the regions outside London as operators seek less crowded markets, although disposable income is lower outside London, there is a far lower presence of modern, highly branded restaurant chains.

Small secret restaurants with backdoor entrances or hidden within a larger restaurant are also something we expect to see more of in 2019 such as Nuno Mendez Mãos and Kirk Haworth’s Saturday only restaurant Plates in Hoxton.

Likewise small focussed menus will appeal to diners and will mean less complexity in the kitchen, a leaner supply chain, lower food costs and less food waste too.

7. AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

The pressure on disposable income means eating out will become more of a treat and so diners will expect a great quality experience, not just in terms of the food and drink. The whole dining experience needs to be memorable to encourage people through the door and keep them coming back.

Consumers will seek out unique experiences whether discovering a true slice of local or ethnic cuisine on holiday or down a neighbourhood side-street, a pop-up restaurant or a supper club in someone’s home kitchen. An Eventbrite survey discovered that 75% of people said that they believe unique dining experiences are worth paying more for.

Diners want to be engaged and entertained. Research by Barclaycard in 2018 found half of consumers (52%) would rather pay for a good experience than splash out on material possessions. The same number (52%) would choose to tell their friends and peers about an enjoyable brand experience rather than a purchase they’ve made. 68% of respondents said the setting they are served in is as important as the food or drink itself – a clear sign that providing the best quality product or price is no longer enough.

8. TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION

2019 will see big changes to how technology is used in the hospitality sector both front of house and in the kitchen.

Technology can increase convenience and reduce costs in both restaurants and pubs and home-delivery. The ability to book a table via an app or social media is already widely available. We’re increasingly seeing the use of apps to check accurate waiting times for tables in restaurants where making reservations ahead is not an option.

Once inside the restaurant technology increasingly offers diners a seamless experience from viewing the menu, ordering and paying. In restaurants where orders are sent straight to the kitchen via tablets or other devices, it reduces misplaced orders, the need to decode poor hand writing and provides and instant and accurate record for the most popular dishes. Technology can be linked straight into stock management systems to facilitate easy ordering.

Technology can also provide solutions to supply chain transparency and traceability, manage food waste and improve customer loyalty.

While speed and convenience may increase satisfaction, it’s crucial to remember that it’s no substitute for real personal service and relationship building.

Your online reputation matters - here's why

Everyone is a food critic today. When we’re looking for somewhere to eat, stay, or shop we now are much more likely to be influenced by reviews on Tripadvisor, Google, or Facebook than we are by a business’s website, social media or even reviews by professional critics.

Reputation Economy

We’re living in the ‘Reputation Economy’ where choosing where to eat has been democratised. Online reviews are the new word of mouth - just a bit more public than a chat over a drink with friends.

Don’t bury your head in the sand.

Restaurants, hotels and pubs cannot afford to ignore what is being said about them online (and that includes social media). Making time to track and respond to online reviews and customer feedback is crucial to all hospitality businesses.

Your online presence on sites from Tripadvisor or Facebook to specialist sites like Squaremeal or OpenTable is just as, if not more important than your website and social media.

Why responding to reviews matters

Keep your finger on the pulse and your business will reap the rewards. Responding to reviews, listening to the voice of the customer, and resolving their issues will go a long way in helping you protect your restaurant’s online reputation; more importantly, review management will provide you with the insights that you need to consistently deliver great dining experiences.

Prove it to me

• 87% of consumers in Europe and US say they are influenced by online reviews
   
• 53% 18-34s say online reviews play an important role in their decisions
   
• 7 in 8 diners will go online to choose where to eat
   
• 86% will check menus online before eating out
   
• 44% turn to their mobiles to find somewhere to eat while they are out and about
   
• 80% make reservations online
   
• People look at 6-12 reviews before making a decision
   
• 53% expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week
   
• 94% say an online review has convinced them to avoid a business.

What does this mean for my restaurant?

Start by Googling your business and go through all the results to see what people are saying about you and which sites are having the most influence on your reputation. 
Pay most attention to the first page of results, but don’t stop there….

If you have Google Analytics set up on your website, look at which sites are driving the most traffic to your website.

Do an audit

Start by making a list of all the places your business is mentioned online. Is all the information up to date - opening hours, contact information, menus and photographs up to date? What’s your star rating and general feedback like? Make an action plan to update each listing and add your current menus and fresh quality photos.

Follow these 10 simple steps to manage your online reputation >

Which review sites are most important and where should I focus?

Tripadvisor, Google, Facebook, SquareMeal, OpenTable, Zomato, Yelp, Hardens, AA, Instagram, Twitter, your website - understandably it can seem overwhelming to manage reviews and listings and share fresh content in all these places. 

Which review sites are the most influential and where should you focus your effort.

GOOGLE

It goes without saying that Google is the world’s biggest and most powerful search engine but it’s also increasingly becoming the most influential restaurant review platform. While Google Business means that we can access all the key information we want from the home page without even visiting a website. 

Google Maps is even starting to role out showing customers queuing times for a table or service, although it’s not arrived in the UK yet, it won’t be long.

63.6% of consumers say they are likely to check online reviews on Google before visiting a business — more than any other review site.

Google’s dominance is only going to grow and to eclipse other sites. In addition, user reviews will start to heavily influence search engine optimisation (SEO) results as Google’s algorithms take into account positive and negative reviews, prioritising positively reviewed businesses.

TRIPADVISOR

Is the world’s biggest travel site. It launched in 2000 and every month 456 million people – about one in every 16 people on earth - visit TripAdvisor.com to plan or review a trip. According to Tripadvisor’s own “Diner Decision Making Survey”

UK consumers surveyed:

• 87%  said online reviewers influence their decisions about where to eat
• 87% say Tripadvisor inspires them to try new restaurants
• 52% say online photos influence them
• 95% say Tripadvisor is the most accurate review site - 2% Facebook and 3% Google.

OTHERS YOU CAN'T IGNORE

• Facebook 
• Yelp
• OpenTable
• BookaTable
• Zomato
• Foursquare

And don’t forget to monitor what people are saying about your brand on Twitter and Instagram and thank or respond to them there too.

Trends to consider

Reviews are getting shorter, simpler and more to-the-point reviews. The average review is 65% shorter since 2010 and is now roughly the size of a tweet.

There are more and more positive reviews. Reviews are increasingly shifting from being a place where consumers air their grievances to being a place to recommend businesses after a positive experience.

For more recommendations on how to manage your online reputation follow these 10 simple steps >

10 Trends in UK restaurants for 2018

2018 has proved a tough year for the restaurant trade with multiple closures of both casual-dining chains and fine dining restaurants. The number of restaurants in the UK has fallen for the first time in eight years. The combined squeeze from rising business rates; food inflation; growing minimum wage costs are all taking their toll. 

Consumer confidence is falling with the prolonged uncertainty of Brexit; and rising inflation is putting pressure on discretionary spending and we’re seeing a like-for-like fall in the growth rates for the casual dining sector and continued promiscuity from consumers who are spoilt for choice.

Yet we’re continuing to see innovation in the UK restaurant sector and there are rewards for operators who are doing the right thing. What are the key trends for the rest of 2018? What can restaurant owners and chefs not afford to ignore if they want to stay ahead of the pack?

1. ALL DAY EATING

Traditional dining out for lunch or dinner is evolving, with consumers seeking new places to socialise, to work and to hold meetings. Flexible working means people aren’t restricted to restricted lunch-hour and want to eat at all times of day. Traditional office environments are being traded in for remote working environments as consumers swap their desk for a cafe.

The future landscape of the restaurant industry will be shaped by millennials (those born between 1982 and 1996) and Generation Z (those born from 1997 onwards), due to their frequency and spend on eating out-of-home for breakfast and brunch as well as lunch and dinner.  This generation is discerning and look for value for money as well as a good experience whatever time of day.

2. ACCESSIBLE FINE DINING

Meanwhile, formal dining occasions are not dead but customers are looking for the top quality food and service of traditional fine dining restaurants but in a more relaxed and accessible environment. With a new generation of chefs, we’ll continue to see a move away from luxury and formal dining with white tablecloths and long tasting menus, to simple, informal restaurants that won’t intimidate younger diners.

3. START YOUR DAY WITH BREAKFAST

Gone are long working lunches in favour of breakfast. The breakfast trend is mirrored on our social media accounts with "breakfast" being hashtagged on Instagram more than 50,0000 times in 2017.

Restaurants must adopt opening hours and menus to offer great breakfasts, either to sit and savour or to grab-and-go. This must include healthy options as well as indulgent treats. Granola and avocado on toast have long been favourites of the Instagram world, but now consumers are looking for something new whether that’s pimped up porridge or a cracking shakshuka. In South Wales, Llanelli's Sosban’s Sunday Brunch is regularly booked out with over 80 covers a week.

4. IMMERSIVE & AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

While chains offer customers the familiar and reliable, consumers are fickle in their brand loyalty and show a willingness to experiment. 79% of consumers are open to trying new types of cuisines they have not had before.

As consumers grown increasingly savvy, they will see through ‘concept dining’ in favour of the authentic. Old school establishments that stick to doing what they’ve always done well, like 30-year-old French restaurant Le Café du Marché in Smithfield will attract younger customers looking for the genuine article.

Special events from guest chef nights, wine tastings, charity fundraising evenings or just special menus to mark occasions from Valentine’s to Harvest Suppers create a reason for your customers to come back.

5. THE RISE AND RISE OF FOOD HALLS

This year has seen the rise of the Food Hall springing up around the country with empty spaces from derelict markets (Mackie Mayor in Manchester), tube stations (Fulham) and empty shops (the former BHS on Oxford Street) all offering thousands of feet of communal dining spaces from multiple outlets and creating increased competition for bricks-and-mortar venues.

For chefs and restaurateurs, food halls are a low-risk opportunity to test a concept in a high-footfall location. Julio Bruno, CEO of Time Out Markets which began in Lisbon and is rapidly developing sites around the world says: “We are democratising fine dining. Some of the best-known chefs in the country want to be part of this,”. 

For consumers, Food Halls offer a fun experience where they can experiment with new tastes and groups of friends can eat completely different styles of food while sitting together. Nick Johnson, co-founder of Mackie Mayor says: “People lust after spending time with other people in real time, eating, drinking, people watching – they always have and always will, we’re hard wired, it’s part of being human. All our vendors are passionate and independent. We are originators. It’s an antidote to brand mentality.”

6. POP UPS AND STREET FOOD LEAD INNOVATION

Street food's transient and fluid nature act as a barometer of consumer interests and trends and chefs and restauranteurs should follow the street food scene to stay ahead of the curve. 

For over a decade chefs and entrepreneurs have been using street food stalls or pop-ups in empty spaces to enter the market with low entry costs and flexibility to respond to consumer feedback. Research suggests that 2.5 million people per day ate street in 2017 and we continue to see the growth of marketplace operators like Kerb and London Union creating hubs crowded with people looking for something more interesting than a Pret sandwich for lunch. 

But as the number of vendors grows, so consumers are coming more discerning and voting with their feet as they demand more sophisticated offerings, new flavours and higher expectations when it comes to service. As the BBC’s recent series Million Pound Menu shows, consumers are demanding authentic and honest food - it’s no longer enough to build your business on Cubanos when you’ve been to Cuba once on holiday or to churn out frozen fish from the cash & carry when consumers demand sustainably sourced fish.

7. WOMEN CHEFS’ TIME IS HERE

The recent furore caused by Clare Smyth’s award of Best Female Chef at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards has highlighted the latent inequality in professional kitchens. If nothing else Smyth’s award and subsequent debate have drawn attention to the issue and we should expect to see greater recognition and opportunities for female chefs.

Other female chefs have claimed the award is ‘bizarre’ and ‘outdated, yet only four of the restaurants in the World’s 50 Best are run by women. The low representation of women isn’t just at the top end of the industry. It’s estimated that out of the 250,000 professional chefs in the UK, only 18.5% of them are women (about 46,000). Although figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest the number rose by a third, from 1 in 5 to 1 in 4 chefs in 2016. 

More of a concern are reports of sexual harassment in the hospitality industry, which in the #MeToo era will be tackled publicly or behind closed doors.

Restaurant operators and the media will seek out and develop female talent, with employers needing to be more accommodating about flexible working hours for parents (both male and female) as healthy fast food chain Leon has done.

Customers will look for opportunities to support female chefs and we should expect to see more women chefs rise to senior levels.

8. VEGAN IS HERE TO STAY - LIKE IT OR NOT

The unstoppable rise in vegan diets is something that can’t be ignored and chefs will have to embrace the evolution or lose out. It’s the less virtuous side of vegan food that is set to grow fastest as demonstrated by Temple of Seiten’s fried vegan chicken, and vegan burger restaurant Pure Filth. When bleeding veggie burgers become a hot menu option, it’s clear we are seeing a bigger movement than just consumers wanting to eat more healthily.

All outlets will introduce more plant-based dishes to their menus and entice strict vegans and flexitarians with creative, visually appealing dishes using unusual ingredients like tempeh, jack fruit and aquafaba.

There’s been a 350% increase in the number of vegans to over half a million in Britain in the ten years to 2016 and while there’s no recent data that number is estimated to have significantly increased since. And let's not forget the estimated 22 million “flexitarians” – those who enjoy meat and dairy but want to reduce their consumption.

9. EVERYONE'S A FOOD CRITIC

Online reviews turn all your diners into food critics. Seven out of eight consumers routinely go online to discover dining destinations. This makes online listings and reviews sites (Google, Tripadvisor, Facebook as well as restaurant specific sites like Tomato and OpenTable) critical. 87% of UK diners say they’re influenced by online reviews, with 64% turning to Google (more than any other review site).

Keep your listings up to date on all these sites and make sure you include contact numbers, maps and opening hours. 86% people say they check menus online before booking so keep yours up to date on your website and elsewhere.

Monitor and respond to reviews on all the channels. A quick and considered response can turn a negative experience into a positive one.

10. EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY

The volume of bookings from third-party sites (OpenTable, Res Diary, Square Meal, etc) is set to grow and facilitates a surge in last-minute reservations made within 90 minutes of seating. These sites are also blamed in part for the increase in no-show bookings because it’s so easy to make a booking - find time to call and confirm bookings to build a personal relationship.

Once at the table, we are all benefitting from new technologies from self-service menus; mobile ordering and payments and technology which facilitates splitting the bill between friends.

10 Steps to manage your restaurant’s online reputation

Today we're all critics. Your busiesss's online reputation matters. Follow these 10 simple steps to managing your online reputation.

1. Claim or update your business list on Google My Business.

Make sure that your opening hours, contact details, and map location are correct. 

google.com/business >

2. Do an audit 

Make a list of everywhere you business appears online and make sure the information is up to date and accurate. Some listings you will be able to easily update, others like AA or Squaremeal you will have to contact to request an update.

3. Share your menus

Don’t just put your menus on your website. People check menus online before making a decision to visit so make sure they can find current menus easily at least include a link to the menus on your website.  [Share menus on social media too and tell people when you introduce a new dish or seasonal menu].

Since early 2018 Google has enabled restaurant owners to upload menus straight on to the information pages of their listing.

4. Update your photos

Photos say a 1000 words so make sure your online listings and your website have up to date and good quality photos. Include some of the exterior, the interior, garden if you have one, as well as food and drink.

5. Set up Google Alerts

Google Alerts send out daily or weekly updates on specific keywords so you can keep track of what’s new online. Set up alerts on your business name, your head chef or even some of your competitors.

google.co.uk/alerts >

6. Make time for managing your online reputation

Set aside a set time every week (Monday mornings can be a good time to do this) to monitor and respond to reviews.  If you give the task to someone in the team make sure that they are briefed about how to respond consistently and using the right tone and language for your brand.

7. Thank people for their feedback

Positive reviews can transform your business. Researchers studying Yelp, one of TripAdvisor’s main competitors, found that a one-star increase meant a 5-9% increase in revenue - so thanking people for positive reviews is just as important as responding to bad ones!

8. Don’t hide from bad reviews

Consumers expect brands to respond to reviews—and are disappointed when they don’t. Responding within 48 hours of negative reviews can turn a bad experience into a positive one. 45% of consumers say they’re more likely to visit a business if it
responds to negative reviews.

How to respond to bad restaurant reviews.

• Be polite and factual - try not to get angry or emotional.
• Prioritise those that need a factual explanation or apology rather than emotional rants.
• Be brief
• Respond from a senior manager
• Reflect the personality of your restaurant
• Address specific comments
• Invite guests to return and give you a second chance

9. Share feedback with your team

Motivate your team by share compliments as well as investigating issues highlighted.

10. Act on feedback

Use both positive and negative reviews to improve your operations and customer experience.

delicious. magazine Produce Awards - judging

The delicious. magazine Produce Awards are in their third year and going from strength to strength. I was honoured to be asked to judge entrants from the Eastern region for the third time.

This year the Awards worked a little differently, with the regional heats being judged at food festivals around the country on a fantastic stage provided by Award sponsors Fisher & Paykel.

I joined Michelin-star chef Galton Blackiston and food entrepreneur William Kendall on a sunny September day at the Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival. Our Chair was Chef Valentina Harris who’s been touring the country managing the awards. We tasted a wonderful array of produce from the East of England. Judging them based on Appearance, Taste, Provenance and Passion.

Products scoring an average score of over 30 will go through to the national finals at Borough Market in early October.

The East of England finalists are:

10 products were selected by the judges to go forward to the national final in October, to be held at London’s Borough Market, and these are:

1. Truly traceable Venison & Game pies Homemade Venison Pie

2. Cotchel Topaz & Evelina Apple Juice

3. Reliquum Reliquum Plum

4. Cotchel Braeburn  Juice

5. St Peter’s Brewery Golden Ale

6. Old Rectory Preserves  Elveden Ren Onion Relish

7. Cotchel  Conference, Topaz & Evelina Juice

8. St Peter’s Brewery Cream Stout

You can read more about the delicious. magazine Produce Awards here >

• NB as some entrants were business I have an affiliation with I stood back from judging these categories and scores were taken only from the other judges.

Why content marketing matters for restaurants

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a way to build your community, engage with customers and provide information to your audience and influencers. Content marketing is just a term for all your communications through your website, blog, social media, video or newsletters. 

All your content across the channels must all have one thing in common - it must be interesting, relevant, genuine and meaningful.

Why does content marketing matter for restaurants?

Content marketing can be highly effective, costing on average 62% less than traditional marketing and advertising, while generating three times as many leads. Content marketing is a great equaliser putting the big fish on the same level as minnow star-ups.

Done well content marketing engages your audience and provides them with something of value that makes you stand out from the crowd and will make your audience remember you.

Customers want to visit restaurants, cafés and pubs that they know and trust, and by creating excellent and consistent content, you can stay in front of those customers while nurturing and building stronger relationships.

How does content marketing work?

1. TELL YOUR STORY

Since the dawn of time, human beings have been story tellers and we form connections through stories. Tell the story of your restaurant and your food and your (website, blog, press release or Instagram post) as if you are talking to a friend. Set the scene - a place, a time. Choose one ordinary detail that captures the essence of your story.  Be brave enough to share the emotion behind your story.

2. PAINT A PICTURE

Share photos and videos or paint a picture in words. It goes without saying that photographs of dishes and ingredients whet the appetite of hungry diners - but think beyond the obvious and give a sneak peak behind the scenes or create short videos of dishes being compiled. 

Without a good image your tweet, post or blog is invisible and while these photos or videos don’t always need to be professionally shot, take a bit of time to set up your photo, think about the light, props and styling.

3. BE REAL AND HONEST

Avoid bland corporate speak and be a real person. If you have someone looking after content or social media for you brief them about the style of language they should use, phrases to use and those to avoid. 

4. BE INTERESTING

Don’t just shout about new menus and how to book a table - these sorts of posts are fine in moderation but take your content beyond that - introduce your team, profile your favourite suppliers, feature a drink of the month and give people insight into the daily life of the restaurant or behind the scenes in the kitchen. This way you’ll gain more engagement and encourage people to share your content.

Where do I begin?

1. Define your strategy - you want to drive traffic to your website and increase new and repeat bookings. Identify your target audience and work out what they will engage with.
    
2. Build a calendar month by month and design your content around holidays, seasons and events. Join up all your channels from your website and blog, to your newsletter, pr and social media.
    
3. Develop your tone of voice - who are you and who are you talking to? Use a language, images and video that are authentic and interesting.
    
4. Drive traffic to your site - your website should be your hub - and search engines will reward sites that are regularly updated with fresh quality content. You don’t have to create brand new content for every channel but adapt it for different audiences and direct everyone to your website for the full story.
    
5. Promote your posts - promoted posts on Instagram and Facebook can be a great way to dip your toe into online advertising. For a tiny budget, you can create a campaign to a precise target audience and view the results.  Do set a clear goal and have a clear call to action - book a table, buy a gift voucher, come to an event.
    
6. Track and measure - monitor and respond to your engagement using Google analytics and insights on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to learn and adapt to what works and what doesn’t.

Content suggestions for restaurants

• Celebrate seasonal produce
• Feature producers/suppliers - celebrate the people who supply your ingredients
• Share recipes - but make them something people can try at home
• Highlight a wine/drink of the month - suggest menu pairings
• Introduce your team - give customers the chance to get to know your staff with a fun Q&A

10 Consumer Food Trends to Watch

We take a look at what trends are emerging in how British consumers shop and eat.  Are our habits changing in response to growing awareness of diet-related health? How will Brexit affect our shopping baskets? And how is social media changing our relationship with food?

1. Scratch Cooking

There is a small but significant shift towards more people cooking from scratch as we realise that it is not only cheaper than buying pre-prepared food but healthier too. 49% of consumers are driven by the ability to control ingredients when cooking from scratch. (Mintel Cooking in the Home UK May 2016).

2. Convenience and control

Our increasingly busy lifestyles mean convenience is still a major factor and there is evidence that we spend less time preparing meals than we used to. The combination of the desire to cook with fresh ingredients and convenience of the pre-prepared, is driving the demand for meal kits like Gousto and Hello Fresh, and now followed by supermarkets introducing their own brand equivalents.

The growth of 1-2 person households amongst younger and older generations is also a factor in our meal choices and shopping habits. Smaller pack or portion sizes are a key to appealing to these small households.

3. Food as self-expression

Cooking has become a leisure activity, a way to relax and be creative rather than just a functional activity.  While we might spend less time in our kitchens during the week we are likely to indulge in more creative cooking at weekends. “Eating in is the new eating out” according to the Waitrose 2016 Food & Drink Report.

We are inspired by television cookery shows like Great British Bake Off and Masterchef, as well as by social media, Cooking special meals at home, whether just for family or friends is seen as a genuine alternative to eating out and an opportunity to be creative and indulgent. Consumers will treat themselves to special and luxurious ingredients for these occasions. These consumers associate cooking with feeling confident, valued and relaxed rather than more negative feelings like stressful, boring and annoying.

For marketeers, tapping into this positive emotional aspect of cooking will increase sharing and engagement. messages that focus on the enjoyment of cooking and eating together with family and friends will win loyalty.

4. Living Well

Looking after our bodies no longer means dull diets and sacrificing flavour.  UK Consumers have recognised that eating well is about making sensible choices as part of everyday life and that the occasional treat is ok.

We seek out lighter, fresher and simpler foods - salads over sandwiches for lunch - though convenience is key we want to be healthy without having to make an effort.

5. Following the crowd

Social media, rather than traditional print and broadcast media, is driving food trends including the demand for perceived superfoods like chia, seaweed and spelt while once exotic products, like quinoa and coconut water, are now mainstream.

Consumers are turning to bloggers and influencers like Deliciously Ella and Hemsley & Hemsley for advice just as much as we listen to health and nutrition professionals. 

6. Free-from

The impact of these ‘health gurus’ has driven the demand for gluten-free foods, not for essential health reasons, but because people perceive them to be more healthy. Some retailers are reporting a tapering off in demand for gluten-free products at the same time as giving over more shelf-space to lactose-free products; demonstrating just how fast these trends come and go.

7. Rise of vegetarianism and veganism

UK consumers are turning their backs on the the traditional plate of meat and two veg and moving towards a more plant-based diet.  For many this is just a case of eating less meat and fish and choosing meat-free days; for others, younger consumers especially, it means rejecting animal products completely.  In the last decade, the number of vegans in Britain has risen more than 360% according to a survey by the Vegan Society.  These numbers are expected to grow further.

8. Anytime is snack time

We are seeing a blurring of boundaries between traditional meal times with big increases in snacking between meals especially between lunch and breakfast.  This pattern emerges as we try to fit more into busy lifestyles and make less time to sit down and eat - and households are less likely to come together for a meal. 

We eat breakfast on the go and lunch at our desks and brands are responding to this with new categories like breakfast drinks and formats such as snack-sized packs.

9. Conscious consumption

Consumers are more curious than ever before about where food comes from.  A third of us care more about the environment and society than we did five years ago and two thirds of us consider where food is sourced some of the time (Waitrose 2016 Food & Drink Report.) 

Millennials especially recognise how they have an ethical and environmental responsibility when making choices about what they eat and are conscious about what the brands they buy say about them with two thirds of 25-34 year olds saying they ‘want to buy food & drink products that reflect their attitudes and opinions’

For brands this means creating credible and convincing messages about your product and brand and communicating those credentials through all channels from packaging and point of sale to social media.

10. Looming food inflation

Food constitutes just 12% of disposable income in the UK, an all time low after three years of deflation, according to analysts Sanford Bernstein. However, the fall of sterling following the 2016 referendum to leave the EU and continued uncertainty is starting to affect food prices. While UK farmers and food producers warn of rising prices due to increasing labour costs with a shortfall in the number of European seasonal labourers working here. 

Analysts predict that UK consumers will swallow these price rises up to a point, bouyed by intensifying competition between retailers for shoppers’ pound. But consumers are being warned to brace themselves for price rises – perhaps by as much as 8% on those products for which Britain is almost solely reliant on the EU.