Slim pickings for London eateries

By accusing the UK restaurant trade of being “lazy and greedy”, George Pitcher (MW November 18) betrays a limited understanding of the business. London’s dining scene is one of the most precarious and margin-constrained businesses around, and diners suffer far more at the hands of greedy landlords and expensive importers than from restaurateurs’ pricing strategies. If Pitcher saw the books of even the most famous restaurants around town, he would realise just how hard it is to make money.

His &£220 for a meal for two is more than three times the London average (&£35.14 a head). Moreover, Londoners’ biggest gripes about dining out are the quality of service and smoking – the cost of a meal hardly registers on the scale.

Sholto Douglas-Home

Editor

Zagat Restaurant Survey