大象传媒

The restaurant business is notorious for its high rate of failure 鈥� around a third go out of business in the first year.

Many in the industry say their costs are going up and so margins are getting tighter. But there are ways chefs and owners can maximise profits from a simple plate of food. Simon Parkes takes a look behind the scenes and explores the latest trends and techniques in the trade.

At Arbutus Restaurant in central London Colin Kelly explains how he uses his skill as a chef to design and assemble dishes in a way that keeps food costs down. The co-owner of the restaurant Will Smith explains how the front-of-house costs are minimised.

Joanna Blythman, food writer and restaurant critic for Scotland鈥檚 Sunday Herald, explains the trends she sees underway in the restaurant world 鈥� and the shift away from 鈥渇ormal dining鈥�.

Restaurateur Steven Glaister owner of Glaister鈥檚 Restaurant in London explains how the current system of tipping works in most restaurants.

Joe Warwick, editor of Restaurant Magazine and head of the team behind the World鈥檚 50 Best Restaurants, and chef and food writer Rowley Leigh, who is opening a new restaurant this autumn explain the effect these costs are having on our experience as diners.

Simon Parkes then talks to pioneering restaurateur Alice Waters, who started her restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California over 35 years ago for her reflections on the restaurant business.