Instead, can we please consider the ‘elephant in the room’?
I’m talking about weight loss jabs.
People are shrinking before our eyes.
This includes notable figures in the food industry, we’ve all seen them. So, if people who make a living out of food are taking these medications, then surely their effects must be an important consideration in the future shaping of our industry.
Listening to a podcast featuring Richard Corrigan recently, he talked about a shift away from tasting menus to what I would call proper food. We all know that lots of tiny courses fill you up just as much, if not more, than a regular meal, so no one is safe.
‘Decent’ portions
Personally, we’ve raised the red flag ourselves a few times, usually when our eyes glaze over after multiple courses though actually that might be the effects of the alcohol…
In our rural pub, we are known for serving what I’d call ‘decent’ portions but I’ve already noticed a change in the eating habits of some regular customers.
One individual who visits weekly with a very nice healthy spend (three courses plus a couple of pre-dinner drinks and a rather approachable bottle of wine – thank you) still comes in but the spend has been decimated by comparison. The trouble is the alcohol consumption is affected too.
In an effort to understand the effects of being on this medication, I’ve had a few interesting conversations with people I know who are open about taking them.
My main question being: is the enjoyment of food and eating out still there?
The good news is the answer seems to be yes.
It’s why people go out
During one hilarious conversation I had tableside, a diner told me that at one time she would have ordered her particular favourite dessert, demolished it and then ordered a second. Now, she said, she gets the husband to order and ‘all I need is a sniff and that’s enough for me!’ We were both in hysterics and it reminded me that this is why people go out… to have a good time.
It strikes me the shift might be back towards focusing on the actual whole experience. Of course, the food is important but it’s not the sole consideration. We all know that a very good front-of-house experience can rescue a poor meal but an excellent meal can be wiped out instantly by poor service.
I love the anticipation of being handed the piece of paper with the menu on offer, making my choices and the theatre of the dining experience. This will never go away. Perhaps we might have to rethink our menus to accommodate reducing appetites and definitely further underlining quality and not quantity.
Or could we charge for ‘scratch and sniff’? Now there’s an idea – and imagine the GP…
I’d love to know what other operators’ experiences are and how they plan to manage this.
