Cost of Living Crisis: Three UK hospitality talking points from May

At the end of April, Bermondsey Street-based Italian restaurant, Flour & Grape, announced that its truffle taglierini dish was to be taken off the menu due to unsustainable price hikes by its truffle supplier.

In a post on Instagram, the brand said:

"Post pandemic we’ve been absorbing the continuing rising costs across the board so that we can still deliver super delicious & affordable pasta & wine.

"Sadly though the latest price hike of 40% from our truffle supplier is just not sustainable.

"Our truffle taglierini has been a @flourandgrape stalwart but to keep it would result in an eye watering price increase which goes against our philosophy & values."

Over the course of May, consumer reaction to the demise of Flour & Grape's popular truffle pasta dish was one of sadness, dovetailed by an appreciation of transparency from the team. And, with the dish given five more days from the date of the post, Flour & Grape later revealed the Truffle Taglierini was "flying" out as diners flocked to enjoy it one last time.

"Sad to see it go but thanks for sharing your challenges and rationale for taking it off the menu," one Instagram follower commented. "I love the transparency and completely appreciate the importance of keeping things commercially viable."

Since announcing the end of the truffle taglierini, the restaurant has revealed two new dishes: Mezzaluna with a ricotta, broad bean & pea filling, smothered with a mint butter emulsion; and a creamy bucatini cacio e pepe.

Last month, Egg Soldiers' Head of Trends, Kateline Porritt, spoke to William Reed's MCA Insight about the news that Japan's Toridoll is finalising a deal to buy Fulham Shore, which owns pizza chain Franco Manca and The Real Greek restaurants, for £93.4m, with plans to expand in the UK and internationally.

She pointed out that such restaurants offer comfort, nostalgia, and often affordability – making it a win across demographics, including families.

“Franco Manca and The Real Greek both do what they do very well and consistently,” she said. “They are reliable brands that are authentic enough to their respective cuisines to be exported; that is, they are not too niche or Anglicised.

“The best thing about the two restaurants is they are not trendy in a faddy way which means they have staying power. The trend they are riding is that of simplicity and accessibility.”

Toridoll's plans to expand both brands across the UK and internationally comes straight from the multinational restaurant chain handbook, with many big names - from Tim Hortons to Popeyes - noticeably enacting bold expansion plans in the last few years, both consolidating in existing channels and emerging into new markets.

Big investment is the link here, and with The Financial Times this week publishing a feature on the plight of UK mid-market dining chains, with many said to be "struggling to recover from the lows of the pandemic"; Toridoll's move, depending on success, could be just the start as investors look to capitalise even further on the cost-of-living chaos, beyond simply snapping up prime bricks-and-mortar locations as operations sadly exit, but by blurring the lines between mid-market and big chain restaurant expansion strategy with accessible, reliable casual-dining brands.

Last month, Egg Soldiers' Kateline spoke to The Times about rising prices in UK restaurants and the issue of 'bill shock' for many following a meal.

Menu innovation is key in times of economic crisis, with 'snacks' and/or 'bites' emerging as a way of offering something different to diners other than the standard 'starter'.

However, as Kateline points out in the piece; tapas-esque starter options can still lead to a bit of a shock come the bill.

“It’s trying to offer them something else," Kateline said of restaurants adding snacks and bites to menus. "But maybe that’s where you see the bill creep. They are not a full starter, but you end up ordering them because you get excited and get loads to share.”

Also discussed was the fact that restaurants are increasingly offering set-price menus to avoid customer confusion as to what they were expecting to pay come the end of the experience.

“There are people in the industry who really want to avoid that bill shock — because they want repeat customers,” Kateline said. “And it [set menu offerings] is great for the restaurant because they are buying higher volumes of a smaller number of ingredients and they can streamline their labour.”