The FT lunch offer

[Andy Lynes]

Has everyone seen this offer? It was in the Financial Times over the weekend and was on their site www.ft.com but has now disappeared. It will be featured again in the print version next weekend as well.

The offer is lunch at either £8, 10 or 15 and some restaurants are doing an early evening dinner at the same rate. It's nationwide with some really good places joining in. They are also running a joint promotion in New York with some great places there as well.

There are too many to mention but for instance St John, Moro, Al Duca, Lindsay House, The River Cafe, etc etc are all included. The range seems a #### of a lot better than The Times usually has and there is no messing about with coupons, just ring up and mention the FT and your done.

I obviously have no connection with this whatsoever, but it seems like to good an opportunity to miss. It's only on until 10 Feb, with some places not participating in the final weekend.

Here's a link which may help - '>http://timeoff.ft.com/ft....rue.

[magnolia]

Andy - this - and these offers in general - make for very interesting discussion.  For example, what is the motivation behind participating (on the part of the restaurant as well as on the diner?

The FT offer does have some better-than-usual  participants, the Times &tc, less so. I haven't seen the FT offer so I don't know if it's limited to London, but I have seen the Times offer and some of the restaurant group-only offers (MPW, Conran, etc.)  

I'm curious to what extent the offers are meant to a) attract customers who have never eaten at these places before and could not otherwise afford a meal at an "expensive" restaurant isuch as Moro, Al Duca, or the The River Cafe (I haven't heard of Lindsay house so I'm not sure how costly it is, and I would consider St John to be 'medium',  b) attract new business from people who *can* afford it but so far haven't c) drum up business for restaurants that are going through a slow time?

If a...those people won't necesarily come back when the offer is over, so in a way the restaurant has 'wasted' an offer..also I suppose (this is generalising, but whatever) these are not really the kinds of people who read the FT if you believe the demographics. If b) those people might come back...so perhaps it's worthwhile but then again, they may also pay full price and just haven't gotten around to it. If c)...It doesn't sound like the restaurants in the  FT offer (which I haven't seen) are having such a hard time...though I suppose every little helps.

On the other hand, I've got the Times "eat out for £5 (or so depending on the small print) offer here.   I'm looking at the London section, and while there are a few places I'd be keen to try because i've heard some 'buzz' about them, for example Pug and  Highgate Hill Bar...I already eat at The Peasant and would just be taking advantage I guess; The Crescent's meal is already a huge bargain; then there are some really incongruous participants like Vama and LMNT, which are supposedly uber-trendy already; I'd probably go to Tagines offer or no offer, and The Depot in Barnes is always packed though this would be a good deal for someone eating out with their whole family.

Other than that...there are columns and columns of Cafe Unos, Deep Pan Pizzas and Jim Thompsonses which, if one or more of the venues isn't doing so well, probably save ££ on volume purchases of ingredients and formula preparation...and which aren't the kinds of places that are a real stretch (of mind or wallet) for people who haven't eaten there already - either they don't like that kind of place or there isn't one near them, and they aren't exactly destination restaurants for which an offer would go a long way...and for those who have eaten in one of htese places, an offer would just serve the purpose of having an existing customer spend less than normal.

On the other hand, maybe the out-of-London options are a good deal....

Thoughts?

[Andy Lynes]

There is usually a very similar debate in the letters column of the caterer around this time of year when restaurant owners and chefs write and moan that people come and take advantage of the offer and then expect free wine and water on top and don't leave a tip. They say it's a waste of time and that these types never come back for a full price meal anyway.

The idea I believe is for the restaurants to fill up seasonaly slow lunch and evening services, whilst the papers sell a few more copies off the back of the offer.  

I am going to Chez Bruce for lunch tomorrow on the FT offer (quelle suprise I hear you say), so if Bruce is around I will ask him his reasons for joining in the offer. In his case, lunches are always slow so a bit of extra trade is almost certainly going to be his reason. His other places Trompette and The Glasshouse are included as well and I can imagine lunches being slow there as well due to their locations).

Don't look a gift horse etc etc.    

[Andy Lynes]

So, I spoke to Mr Poole yesterday and quizzed him on his reasons for joing in the promotion. He said that he wanted his other places The Glasshouse and La Trompette to do it because of their locations (neighbourhood restaurants with not a great deal of business lunch trade). His chef at Kew said he didn't want to do it again this year because of stingy punters last year not wanting to spend a penny more than the advertised 10 or 15 quid, demanding more choice than on the set menu and refusing to pay service etc etc.

Bruce said that he would not ask them to do something he was not prepared to do so has joined in. He has only had a few lunchtime bookings for this week, but bookings have picked up for next. There was another table for 1 yesterday and he was eating on the FT promotion and has apparently lined up 17 places to visit under the promotion. He had eaten at El Bulli 7 times, having once had lunch and dinner on the same day! I wish I had had the opportunity to tell him about eGullet but I didn't know all this until too late.  

[Scottf]

Andy

How was the FT menu constructed at Chez Bruce and were the dishes simpler than from the normal menu?

(Edited by Andy Lynes at 12:15 am on Feb. 1, 2002)

[Andy Lynes]

Scott - i deleted the huge amount of blank space on your last posting in case you wondering about that edit.

The FT menu was 3 choices at each course, very carefully constructed according to BP in order that they dont lose any money on the deal. There was a cauliflower soup with mackeral fritters and mustard crean from the carte, a foie gras parfait with pork rillette and Poilane bread or Imam Biyaldi (which is what I had), for mains it was a lamb shank, cod with cockles, mash and carrots with parsley buerre blanc (my choice) or saute chicken breast with risotto Milanese. Dessets were a fabulous apple crumble with cinnimon ice cream, a sorbet, cheese or on eother thing that I can't remember. It was a great meal but slightly simpler than the usual lunch menu, which was also available and is £23.50.  

[magnolia]

Well I've asked my boyfriend to cut out the tokens this weekend, though he probably won't remember...I'm off to Romania so I will be good and hungry upon my return...

[Andy Lynes]

As I said - no tokens, just a list of restaurants that are participating.