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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2020 12:56:15 GMT
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Post by kathryn on Jan 24, 2020 15:09:59 GMT
I think Burgerworks is the right way for the NT to go in that location.
I've always said that Kitchen didn't work - the food was far too hipster and fiddly, quite often not well made as obviously too complicated for the facilities and staff there, and far too expensive. It wasn't attractive to passing traffic and wasn't welcoming to the new diverse audience the NT wants to attract. The menu was thoroughly Guardianista middle-class.
I always said they should focus on doing simple, reasonably priced, accessible food, and doing it well. Let the kids who are seeing a play for the first time have a burger and chips or pizza there, to make seeing a play feel as normal as going to the cinema. Don't bamboozle them with fancy hipster food that is expensive and badly cooked.
The pizza truck they have outside in the summer does a roaring trade with passersby - Kitchen should be luring those people in to the building.
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Post by Jon on Jan 24, 2020 15:58:24 GMT
I did like the food at Kitchen but I think simplifying the menu is a good thing
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Post by lynette on Jan 24, 2020 18:39:17 GMT
I have always had a problem with the NT food since the beginning of time. There is nothing as said above for kids for the family shows or simple dishes for those of us who are challenged by twiddles and odd ingredients. And it is expensive.
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Post by londonpostie on Jan 24, 2020 18:50:59 GMT
It's not pre-show food though, I don't think. It's there all day for those promenading along South Bank, many being tourists looking for a lunch or a break or whatnot. Some will just be noseying around the public realm of the 'world famous Nation Theatre'. So you folks may not be the only market they are aiming at - bit more international and impulsive.
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Post by lynette on Jan 24, 2020 22:07:18 GMT
It's not pre-show food though, I don't think. It's there all day for those promenading along South Bank, many being tourists looking for a lunch or a break or whatnot. Some will just be noseying around the public realm of the 'world famous Nation Theatre'. So you folks may not be the only market they are aiming at - bit more international and impulsive. Well possible, but you have to search the building for the restaurant and the Terrace place. There are more accessible places along the river. |
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Post by londonpostie on Jan 24, 2020 22:36:14 GMT
It just feels like there is no more international touristy cuisine than burger and fries which, at the same time, isn't what your average NT punter is looking for. I guess they'll see how the all-day thing works out.
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Post by showgirl on Jan 25, 2020 4:56:27 GMT
I agree with the need for accessible ( kathryn) and simple ( lynette) food but to me burgers and pizzas don't fully meet those requirements. They may suit children and younger people but I'm looking for a substantial soup with a roll, pasta with sauce, meatballs and rice and similar dishes - not food which requires a lot of chopping and chewing or is embarrassing to consume in public and therefore leaves you feeling stressed and with indigestion. |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jan 25, 2020 7:57:01 GMT
How on earth is a slice of pizza more difficult, “stressful” and “embarrassing” to consume than a plate of pasta? I honestly don’t see the difference. Pizza and pasta are both carby junk foods you can eat with one hand. Burgers and meatballs are basically the same thing just shaped differently.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 25, 2020 8:13:21 GMT
Ummmm there's like 50 restaurants within 5 minutes walk of the National...is this REALLY such a drama?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2020 8:28:43 GMT
Theatreboard. Drama is what we do.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jan 25, 2020 8:37:41 GMT
I wonder if people at the National are reading this and sniggering, going, “Hey let’s announce we’re turning Kitchen into a Mongolian BBQ or a Chuck-E-Cheese next.”
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Post by andrew on Jan 27, 2020 19:25:37 GMT
I've spent an enormous amount of time in the last few weeks sitting at tables around the National, and what I'm struck by is how busy that building is all day, especially from about 12 o'clock onwards. There's a huge number of people coming in, going to the bookshop, eating food and getting coffee, far more than I would ever have imagined. These are weekdays in January with no shows until 7.30pm. They can definitely make a huge amount of money from their eateries.
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Post by lynette on Jan 27, 2020 20:05:36 GMT
I've spent an enormous amount of time in the last few weeks sitting at tables around the National, and what I'm struck by is how busy that building is all day, especially from about 12 o'clock onwards. There's a huge number of people coming in, going to the bookshop, eating food and getting coffee, far more than I would ever have imagined. These are weekdays in January with no shows until 7.30pm. They can definitely make a huge amount of money from their eateries. And it was planned without one. All added later. No real vision and since, very little business sense. With this latest fiddle about, hardly a refurb, they had a chance to do what should have been done from the start, that is refocus the whole building to look out on the river and place eating places all along and up the levels. |
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Post by showgirl on Jan 28, 2020 4:56:44 GMT
So perhaps a little like those food courts you find in shopping malls, lynette? Albeit with a better view. They always seem very popular and offer something for everyone though I find the atmosphere in all of them oppressive (very noisy, crowded, dingy despite artificial lighting), but the NT version could be better if the building was indeed opened up to allow views of the river. It could offer what's currently available nearby on the South Bank (EAT, Wagamama etc), but in far more attractive surroundings and all under one roof. |
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Post by duncan on Jan 28, 2020 11:04:55 GMT
...or if they insisted you had a ticket for a performance to be able to use the toilets.
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Post by lynette on Jan 28, 2020 11:19:12 GMT
So perhaps a little like those food courts you find in shopping malls, lynette ? Albeit with a better view. They always seem very popular and offer something for everyone though I find the atmosphere in all of them oppressive (very noisy, crowded, dingy despite artificial lighting), but the NT version could be better if the building was indeed opened up to allow views of the river. It could offer what's currently available nearby on the South Bank (EAT, Wagamama etc), but in far more attractive surroundings and all under one roof. Well, I’m not against such places having seen what they can do in Tokyo with huge food venues in railway stations! |
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