28 | Hospitality Today | Oct/Nov 2015


The most popular Michelin star restaurants on the Bookatable platform have remained fairly consistent since 2012 with The Square unswervingly topping the list year after year.


The most popular day to book is a Monday or a Tuesday with most people dining on Saturday night (24%). The average spend has increased from £46.98 in 2013 to £99.17 in 2015.


But – do diners really care?


Meanwhile a new survey has revealed that the majority of Brits will ignore the Michelin results, preferring instead to ask their friends for tips or research online.


While the nation’s restaurateurs and chefs pore over Michelin’s star listings, the survey by Great British Chefs has shown that printed guides, including the Michelin Guide, tend to be low on the list when British diners are looking for help when deciding which restaurant to choose.


52% of those surveyed said they visited websites to help make a decision and 18% used social media.


Ollie Lloyd of Great British Chefs comments on the study - “From our research it does seem that the traditional guide has had its day as people look elsewhere for recommendations. However, Michelin stars remain an important mark of quality and over 60% of those surveyed are interested in finding out who has gained and lost Michelin stars this year”.


Furthermore 54% of respondents said that they believed Michelin-starred restaurants are for formal occasion dining only. The majority age group who believed this was the 26-35 year olds with 60% agreeing with this statement, however the 56-65 year olds were not too far behind with 48% seeing Michelin- starred establishments as reserved for formal dining experiences.


Michelin say that their “Bib Gourmand award is now rightly considered by our readers to be as important as our Stars. This award recognises establishments offering good food at affordable prices (the limit being £28 for three courses, €40 in Ireland)”. This year there are 25 new ‘Bibs’. Among them are the White Swan in Fence, Oli’s Thai in Oxford, Tom Kerridge’s pub The Coach in Marlow (above right) and Nuno Mendes’ Taberna do Mercado in Spitalfields.


“Stars and Bib Gourmands are annual awards. Each year we seek out new candidates and reassess our existing award restaurants. Consistency is a key part of our selection process and it is important for our readers that the standard of cooking is maintained”, said Michelin guide Editor Rebecca Burr.


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