Page 63 - Hospitality Horizon - February-March 2021

WE NEED TO EXPLORE NEW restaurant – to have that food brought to
them at home actually ticks all the boxes of
WAYS OF DOING THINGS novelty, fun, convenience; and that’s before
we’ve even touched on safety and abiding by
HESTON BLUMENTHAL the rules of social distancing. We need to
take ourselves out of ourselves, if you can
understand what I mean by that. We need
to explore new ways of doing things and to
embrace those – it’s not detracting from an
How will the industry have changed experience, it’s simply altering it.
when things return to normal?
I think we have to be positive and Do you have other concerns?
optimistic; we have to see that there is Primarily my fear is for those working in
opportunity that develops out of every the industry. The diners will only come
crisis – it usually presents itself when you back if the producers, suppliers, restaurants
least expect it, but through all of this there and staff are still in place. I have been
will be angles where we can do stuff involved in fundraising initiatives for
differently. For us, for instance, it has been hospitality workers, and it’s crucial we
with delivery of food. It would seem support these, as much in the sense that by
absolutely unthinkable a year ago that we doing so we will be protecting our own food
would have been talking about a food experiences for the future, as well as their
collection service for fine dining, but that’s livelihoods.
what we did with Dinner By Heston,
allowing people to order and collect from
Mandarin Oriental. For people who are used to
going out to a posh restaurant
Are you concerned that you are
diminishing the experience though? – to have that food brought to
No because experience is an ever-changing them at home actually ticks all
thing; it is never the same twice. For people the boxes of novelty, fun,
who are used to going out to a posh
convenience.

63
hospitality horizon FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021