Why fine dining isn’t fine

The announcement that the world’s top restaurant, Noma, will close in 2024, has spawned dozens of think pieces asking whether this is the end of fine dining. So this weekend, we went to the FT’s renowned food critic Tim Hayward to learn about the state of the industry. Running a restaurant has never been more expensive in cities such as New York and London. And now, in the middle of a cost of living crisis, Tim says a bloodbath is coming: in order to stay afloat restauranteurs must ditch a corporate business model and return to more nimble roots. Tim tells Lilah that the good news is that he’s seeing it happen.

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Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap. 

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Links and mentions from the episode: 

– ‘The restaurant industry faces a bloodbath. But there are ways to survive’, by Tim Hayward: https://on.ft.com/3lfo2u6 

–The column Tim mentions on the The North Circular’s Ace Cafe, which has perfect hospitality: https://on.ft.com/3Yl3dMr 

–Tim’s piece ‘A 14-course tasting menu? Don’t. Just don’t’: https://on.ft.com/40GuBGq 

– Our previous episode on Noma is here: https://www.ft.com/content/04bd9722-1d17-496d-aefc-fdae46d5d3b2 

– Tim Hayward is on Twitter and Instagram @timhayward.  

Clips from The Menu, copyright Searchlight Pictures

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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