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4 weeks ago
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Front-of-house extraordinaire Fred Sirieix has voiced his fears for London as the capital's leisure and hospitality trade continues to dwindle amid a cost of living crisis. Fred, 53, best known as the Maître d' on Channel 4's First Dates, posted on X on Tuesday (March 11): "London feels so quiet these days. What’s happened to the buzz?"
And it seems Fred should know, having spent his career waitering at world class Michelin-starred restaurants, including 14 years as general manager of London Hilton Hotel's Galvin at Windows on Park Lane, which closed last year, as well as founding National Waiters Day to encourage more people into the profession.
A total of 1,409 London restaurants shut their doors in the 12 months leading to September 2024, increasing from 1,180 over the previous year. High profile closures include Michel Roux Jr's restaurant La Gavroche which shut its doors in Mayfair after 56 years, Michelin-starred Cornerstone in Hackney Wick, and Jaston Atherton's restaurants Social Eating House in Soho and Pollen Street Social in Mayfair.
But what is behind the closure of so many of the capital's bars, clubs and restaurants? It seems users on X were more than willing to weigh in with their expertise in response to Fred's tweet.
Location, Location, Location presenter Kirstie Allsopp posted: "We told anyone with big money to p*** off, we told anyone running a small business not to bother, and then we made sure that the rest of the population were too broke, scared of getting their phone nicked, or unsure that there would be a train home to bother going out."
Another user posted: "Oh Fred, I love London, I’ve worked there for 35 years. But the last 10 years has seen it descend into a filthy place. It has no Londoners in it. It feels dangerous the crime rate is horrendous. It needs a complete reset. It needs police presence. It needs a spirit brought back."
A third user posted: "It costs me 32 pounds to get there and back on the train and I only live 20 miles away. Expensive transport, ULEZ, congestion charge, overpriced food and drinks, it’s not that nice for the price. We have got the hint from Sadiq Khan. So we don’t go anymore. (Apart from work)."
A fourth added: "Well for ordinary people the fun was squeezed out of Soho about a decade ago, working class people can't live anywhere near Zone 1 and we're charged too much to drive in at the weekends. London is for tourists, the wealthy and those people who've been quite savvy about benefits."
A fifth posted: "No-one has any money to spend on anything except essentials. April is approaching, when EVERY household bill increases annually - Council Tax, Water Rates, even Garden Waste bins! Energy tariffs increase again on 1 April. There’s no spare money for 'regular' folks to spend."
Yet another wrote: "Moved out Fred. Overpopulated, and hellishly expensive. It’s heart and soul is being ripped out in front of our eyes. The only thing that’s great about it is the occasional meal at a special place, a theatre production; then get the quickest train outta there!!"
Still others compared the city unfavourably with others on the continent, one man wrote how he paid just £35 for a meal for two in Prague, while another praised Vienna and other Austrian cities which receive cultural investment from their government.
But not everyone bashed London. One woman posted: "Oh I disagree. I saw a show on Saturday night and then had lunch with friends on Sunday on the Southbank. It was buzzing and had a great vibe both times. I think past midnight it might struggle a bit (we need more late night trains), but otherwise it’s looking and feeling great!"
What do you think? Do you have strong opinions on the state of London's night time economy? Email stewart.carr@reachplc.com.
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