London restaurants were hurt last week when snow disrupted transport and led as many as half the customers to cancel at establishments such as Pied a Terre.
What's the picture for the rest of the year as the industry adapts to the slowdown in business dining and the squeeze on personal spending that came with recession? I spoke to 30 chefs and restaurateurs. Here's what they had to say.
Tom Aikens (Tom Aikens): I don't expect things to change much. We'll continue to listen to our customers and provide a quality product, delivered with great service and good value.
Jason Atherton (Maze): The start of the year is going to be tough. It's a question of keeping costs down and offering value. We won't see anything like a couple of years ago.
Sat Bains (Restaurant Sat Bains): The scene for the industry is a cautious and possibly slow start to the year.
Will Beckett (Hawksmoor): 2010 will be exciting for new openings. It's a good time to get into the industry as the money needed to get started is a bit less.
Antonin Bonnet (The Greenhouse): 2010 will be a harsher year, business wise. Simplicity is the key for everybody, with food being less fussy and more to the point.
Claude Bosi (Hibiscus): I expect the first six months of 2010 to be tough. The run-up to Christmas was excellent, but the reality is that we have another challenging year ahead of us.
Richard Corrigan (Corrigan’s Mayfair): The first quarter may be flat as a lot of plastic is spent on high-street sales. However, with the low pound, London will thrive.
Anthony Demetre (Arbutus): We're not out of the woods yet. There's a lot happening in the world of finance and politics. People will still be searching for value for money.
Stuart Gillies (Boxwood Cafe): Businesses trimmed a lot of costs last year and won't want to change too much until there are more signs of recovery.
Brett Graham (The Ledbury): The outlook is for a strong year. Over the past five to six months, trade has been strong and January looks much healthier than last year.
Des Gunewardena (Coq d'Argent/D&D London): For the first half, individuals will continue to eat out while companies cut back. In the second, with a new U.K. government and new policies, anything could happen
Skye Gyngell (Petersham Nurseries): People are looking for a more informal way of eating. Price is a consideration. I'd like more of the hole-in-the-wall, family-run restaurants.
Henry Harris (Racine): I think there's going to be a real improvement. December was 25 percent better than any December in seven years. I see beef as a more important part of menus.
Sam Hart (Barrafina): I see more places offering value for money, a la Polpo, with stripped-down interiors. We finished the year strongly and it looks like that might continue.
Mark Hix (Hix): People are going to go down a much simpler, more accessible route. That's the key.
Philip Howard (The Square):We're all apprehensive but London is a huge place, and we should be OK. The novelty factor for diners experimenting with molecular gastronomy is gone.
Pierre Koffmann (ex-Tante Claire): Restaurants are always complaining. It's like farmers. All the people I know are doing well. A bit of a recession isn't a bad thing.
Jeremy Lee (Blueprint Cafe): It's a good time for the fledglings. There are stirrings of that kind of movement, and forget recession. It's not fun but it's not our fault.
Rowley Leigh (Le Cafe Anglais): I think things will get easier than in 2009 but we might just feel like the band on the Titanic.
Francesco Mazzei (L'Anima): We were all so happy before Christmas because it was fantastic. But it will take a long time to recover. Companies are still controlling expenses.
Thomasina Miers (Wahaca): Restaurants can expect more tightening of belts this year, especially when tax rises hit home and household incomes feel the bite.
Russell Norman (Polpo): For those who keep things simple, business as usual. Places that rely on expense accounts will fare less well. We'll see the demise of molecular gastronomy.
Shane Osborn (Pied a Terre): Toward year end, business will start booming. I like what has been happening over the past year, with Bocca di Lupo, Terroirs, Polpo and Salt Yard.
Gary Rhodes (Rhodes Twenty Four): It's exciting that every year there can be something new, but we also hold on to good hearty fare. I hope business picks up, especially lunch.
Michel Roux Jr. (Le Gavroche): The good restaurants that offer value for money and are consistent will do well. We've had an extraordinarily good year but many will go down.
Mitch Tonks (Seahorse): It's been a good year for London restaurants, with Hix, Bocca di Lupo and Terroirs all serving serious food in a relaxed way. I hope this becomes the norm.
Marcus Wareing (Marcus Wareing): It may be tougher, with tax rises and higher interest rates people having less money in their pockets, particularly after the U.K. election. But I can see things picking up in the run-up to Christmas.
Tristan Welch (Launceston Place): I'm hoping it will be a gradual return to the good times. For us, business continues to be good and the early signs are that we are doing OK.
Ed Wilson (Terroirs): Restaurants (and wine bars) offering value should thrive and we'll see more openings of similar concepts like Polpo, which are hitting the mark.
Antony Worrall Thompson (Kew Grill): The best places like the Wolseley and the Ivy will be full but they won't have the waiting lists. We'll see casualties. I've been one.
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