Only a fundamental rethink will ensure their survival in the post-outbreak world
I’ve spent the best part of two years now writing obsessively about restaurants. I don’t just love them, I depend on them: they are where my social life takes place, where landmark events are celebrated, where I learn about the different cultures that make up my community. But the industry is on the precipice of oblivion: most restaurants in the UK are closed, and those that have switched to takeaway and delivery know it’s merely a sticking plaster. In London, the country’s food metropolis, the shutters are down from Soho to the Old Kent Road.
As this became clear, my first reaction was to go into cheerleader mode: pick up pom-poms and shout that this great industry needs to be bailed out at any cost. To go into reveries about my favourite meals: the moo krob at Singburi, the pig fat cannoli at Quality Wines, the breathtaking platter of blood sausage and fermented shrimp paste at Phở Thúy Tây. But something about this makes me uneasy, as if I’m nursing myself with nostalgia for a world that never quite existed.
The restaurants that are the most adaptable will find their own solutions that focus on community and simplicity
Related: Don't let coronavirus destroy the UK restaurant industry | Yotam Ottolenghi
Jonathan Nunn is a food writer based in London
Continue reading...