Stephen Jardine: Capital set for food bonanza this year

Latest figures from The List magazine’s Eating and Drinking Guide show 130 new restaurants opened in Edinburgh in the last 12 months.

That extraordinary growth has taken place despite a recession which has seen discretionary spend on eating out in serious decline. And if the past year has been tough, the worst is yet to come.

Many recent openings have been small scale, but this summer the big beasts are coming. Jamie’s Italian opens in George Street in July around the same time as former Atrium owner Andrew Radford’s eagerly awaited new venture, Timberyard, near the Grassmarket.

Add the arrival of the Galvin brothers from London with two restaurants helping transform the Caledonian into the Waldorf Astoria and you have a bonanza for food lovers but a headache for established restaurants fighting to hold on to custom.

It’s not hard to see why new restaurants are opening here. Outside London, Edinburgh is now the number one food city in the UK. With a big middle class population, substantial business sector and great suppliers on the doorstep, the attractions are obvious. But is there enough business to go round?

Already the chill wind is blowing. Seadogs has shut down in Rose Street and this month the New Town branch of La Garrigue also closed its doors.

Nationwide, restaurant closures were up 20% last year, so is Edinburgh to be the setting for restaurant wars that will produce more casualties than survivors?

An industry expert thinks not.

“Sure, times are tough, but count the new arrivals in the guide and there’s still an average of one new opening every week in Edinburgh. So even if some places are closing, there are still eager folk in the wings ready to pick up venues and give things a go”, says Donald Reid, Food Editor at The List.

“Concepts such as Andrew Radford’s new restaurant excite me because they’re homegrown, they’re creative and I believe they’ll add significantly to the distinctiveness of Edinburgh’s scene. Chains are part of life in any large city, and while they don’t add to the distinctiveness of the scene, new arrivals do help to create a bit of buzz, and that’s a sound any restaurateur likes to hear.”

Not everyone will survive the battle for customers this summer. The top end will be fine and chains have the scale to offer deals that will help them survive, but the middle market faces tough times.

All this is good news for the customer. The next few months are likely to see every restaurant polishing service, tweaking menus and looking to offer deals and great value as the fight for business hots up. If you like eating out, in Edinburgh this summer you’ll never have had it so good.