‘A younger crowd': the rise of Britain's early-bird restaurant dining
Previously sitting down for dinner at 5pm usually meant one of three things. You were going to the theatre. You had a toddler. You were of an age where you had a free bus pass. But now we are becoming a nation of early birds; 5pm is the new 8pm and restaurants are adapting accordingly. Special early-evening menus are on the rise.
At Skye Gyngell's Spring restaurant in Covent Garden, a £30 'scratch' menu – featuring dishes made using waste produce such as a moreish bread-and-butter pudding made from yesterday's loaves – is served between 5.30pm and 6.15pm.
Over at Bulrush in Bristol, which opened in 2015 and has held a Michelin star since 2018, diners can enjoy a mini version of its signature tasting menu three days a week at 5.30pm. Instead of £90 for nine courses, you pay £65 for six.
The Portland in London, which has held a Michelin star since 2015, offers four courses for £55 between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. Its standard post-6.30pm tasting menu will set you back a steep £110 while a three course meal from its à la carte costs £89.
Daniel Morgenthau, co-founder of the Woodhead restaurant group, which operates five restaurants including the Portland, said they originally planned to run the early menu for a month in January to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Thanks to its popularity, six months on it has become a firm fixture.
The cost of living is one of the factors driving demand. Morgenthau describes the Portland menu, which changes monthly, as 'striking a really nice balance between providing the full Portland experience and a lower price point'.
George Livesey, chef and founder of Bulrush, said that prior to 2020 his 8pm tables were taken for casual dining by 'a much younger crowd' than now. Nowadays 90% were booked for special occasions. Part of the reason he introduced his earlier and cheaper menu was to attract the younger demographic back.
'This gives people a chance to experience a decent Michelin-sized tasting menu at a not outrageous price point,' Livesey said.
Even east London hipsters are embracing toddler dining times. At Silo, the world's first zero-waste restaurant in Hackney Wick, 6pm diners can opt for an abbreviated version of its full tasting menu. At Pophams in London Fields, a 6pm booking gets you a £30 three-course set menu featuring dishes such as goat's cheese ravioli and an apple crumble croissant from its bakery.
The trend is also having a knock-on effect on pre-dinner drinking. The Firmdale group, which includes London's the Covent Garden hotel, has introduced a Martini hour. From 5pm to 6pm it serves them shaken or stirred – with free chips.
Hybrid working is another driving factor. Since January, OpenTable, an online reservation site, has seen a 6% rise in bookings for tables between 4pm and 6pm in Britain. Morgenthau describes the 5.30pm slot as 'busier than ever' across his group. The TWaT trend (Tuesday to Thursday in-office work) has also resulted in the traditional end-of-week dinner moving to Thursday.
'We get a lot of couples that come into central London to work,' Morgenthau said. 'They want to meet up before heading home but don't want to be out too late.' This week Livesey had a customer who flagged on their 5.30pm booking that they needed to leave by 8pm to catch a train home.
Morgenthau said: 'What creates a good atmosphere in a restaurant isn't the time. The lovely hum comes from having a full room.' It seems nowadays you're more likely to find that before 8pm.
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