Latest news with #LeCaprice
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Steaks could cost more on weekend if dynamic pricing becomes normal practice, restaurant chief says
Steaks could cost more expensive on weekends if dynamic pricing becomes normal practice, a top restauranteur has warned. Jeremy King, whose establishments have included Le Caprice and The Wolseley, said that while he was personally 'really uncomfortable' with the practice, he admitted it was 'fair' for restaurants to sell tables to customers willing to spend a certain amount of money. Dynamic pricing is the practice of changing the cost of a product or service depending on demand. It came under fire after Oasis tickets were sold under the practice, leading to a slew of complaints from customers who felt they were overcharged. King, 71, told the Go To Food podcast: 'I don't begrudge the restaurants, for instance, which are using the apps to sell tables in advance because they've got fed up with people who book months in advance and then spend the entire meal taking photographs of themselves and of the food, ordering the absolute minimum they can just so they can put it on social media. 'So hold the tables back and those restaurants that say if you're willing to pay £200 we have a table for you on a Saturday, I think that's fair. 'I don't like the encroaching dynamic pricing whereby your steak is going to cost more on a Saturday night than it is on a Monday night, that makes me really uncomfortable but that's coming through. We've already seen it in the theatre.' Earlier this year, King gave diners who went to two of his restaurants, Arlington and The Park, a 25 per cent discount if they ate after 9pm in order to encourage later dining times. In February, Disney came under fire after it said that tickets to its American theme parks would jump with demand under a new dynamic pricing plan. Currently, entry to Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland near LA is priced based on pre-set peak and off-peak dates. Under the expected plan—already rolled out at Disneyland Paris—ticket prices at the US parks will fluctuate in real-time based on demand. The new scheme —which would cause huge variations in price —could be introduced by the the end of March, Richard Greenfield of closely-watched Wall Street researchers Lightshed Partners said on Friday. Disney fan Jasmin Guevara, who lives in LA and regularly visits Disneyland in nearby Anaheim, said: 'Does Disney have no shame? 'It has jacked up prices time and time again in the past few years. This will just be another way to squeeze even more money out of me and my family.' Greenfield, respected investor and analyst, explained the timing. He wrote: 'Given the early success of Disneyland Paris' pricing strategy shift, we expect Disney to announce it is moving to a similar airline-style, dynamic pricing plan in the US later in Q1 2025.'
Telegraph
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Dynamic pricing' is coming to top tables, says leading restaurateur
'Dynamic pricing' is coming to British restaurants, Jeremy King has warned. The renowned restaurateur, whose establishments have included Le Caprice and The Wolseley, said he was 'really uncomfortable' with the idea of charging more for a steak on a Saturday than a Monday. However, he did say it was 'fair' for restaurants to sell tables to customers willing to spend a certain amount to stop people ordering the 'absolute minimum' and spending the entire time taking pictures for social media. Dynamic pricing, commonly used for concerts and theatre shows, means the cost of something changes according to demand, with tickets for popular events shooting up the moment as go on sale and the public rushes to buy one. The practice came under fire when it was applied to fans trying to get tickets for the upcoming Oasis reunion. Speaking on the Go To Food podcast, Mr King, 71, said: 'I don't begrudge the restaurants, for instance, which are using the apps to sell tables in advance because they've got fed up with people who book months in advance and then spend the entire meal taking photographs of themselves and of the food, ordering the absolute minimum they can just so they can put it on social media. 'So hold the tables back and those restaurants that say if you're willing to pay £200 we have a table for you on a Saturday, I think that's fair. 'I don't like the encroaching dynamic pricing whereby your steak is going to cost more on a Saturday night than it is on a Monday night, that makes me really uncomfortable but that's coming through. 'We've already seen it in the theatre, it widens the rich prosper and the poor are deprived.' Earlier this year, King himself introduced a 25 per cent discount at his two restaurants, Arlington and The Park, for diners eating after 9pm to encourage the public to 're-acquaint' themselves with eating late.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Delicious things to have on toast (and crumpets, flatbreads and fritters)
There are so many amazing types of breads that make the perfect base for both classic and creative toppings. I often find inspiration at Asian restaurants, where they use paratha, roti, chapati or naan as a starting point. The Scandinavians are also very inventive with bread, serving up open sandwiches with toppings that are highly textured and colourful, while in Italian restaurants a slice of grilled bread – or even a firm slice of polenta – will come bearing a mound of rich ragout or a piece of roasted meat. Because we needn't stop at bread. Back in the '90s, when his restaurant Kensington Place was still going strong, Rowley Leigh served a brilliant sweetcorn pancake topped with a slice of pan-fried foie gras. At the same time over at Le Caprice, I was dishing up a flattened onion pakora-style fritter with foie gras too. These days we wouldn't dream of cooking with fattened goose liver, but that same base would still work beautifully with friendlier options like chicken or duck livers instead. I love having a bit of fun with crumpets, and once put a dish on my breakfast menu called Posh Crumpet, piled high with seasonal wild mushrooms and a fried duck egg. There are no rules when it comes to choosing a topping for your base; as with everything, flavour is key. Sometimes, the simplest approach can be the most delicious. I remember, as a child, my grandad waxing lyrical about toast and dripping, and when I finally came to try it I completely understood what he was on about. One of my favourite Catalan dishes is pa amb tomàquet which, done properly, is a stellar dish of charred bread rubbed with garlic and then tomato until it disintegrates, drizzled with lots of olive oil. These simple and uncomplicated pleasures never go out of fashion and will always have a place at my table.
