Jean-Philippe Blondet: Adapting to a New Generation of Chefs

Alain Ducasse's right-hand man in London on shifting dining habits, being nicer to his team, and what it's like to be responsible for another chef's Michelin stars.

What's behind the recent shake-up of the menus at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester?

For many years, we offered a £285 seven-course tasting menu only. That is the right option for about 85% of our customers, but over the past few years, we've noticed a change in attitude from some of our regular guests, particularly those who visit this type of restaurant. Some diners want a very high-quality experience that doesn't take three hours. So we've introduced a shorter five­ course tasting menu and a three-course à la carte menu. The latter can be served within one hour, if that is what the guest requires. This approach also gives us a more accessible price point. We offer five dinner services per week (Tuesday to Saturday), with seatings between 6 pm and 9:30 pm.

Why have you dropped lunch?

We haven't served lunch since Covid hit. Before the pandemic and also Brexit, we were open for lunch and dinner most days. We had a lot of business lunches, but that has nearly all disappeared now.

In 2018, our lunch menu was just £65, including two glasses of wine. That just wouldn't be possible now due to rising costs, especially staffing. A big benefit of being open evenings only is that the staff can come in around 12 p.m most days, which makes for a much happier team. 

We wouldn't rule out bringing back lunch at some point, but it's working well at the moment.