Revisiting local restaurants

[DovertheRoad]

After a weird period when Lordship Lane became destination, the past 5 years has seen it firmly back in family / dormitory territory. Most restaurants are empty Mon to Thurs and seem to survive on weekend trade.

The places that do best and which will survive have loyal, repeat customers. What are the magic factors that make you return?

[Seabag]

Hunger, wine and loneliness.

With a measure of nosiness and laziness thrown in.

[Captain Marvel]

You should line your stomach first and maybe get a dog?

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Remember Inside 72. I hazily do. Halcyon days.

ETA: They did food.

[TheCat]

Im reminded of that song "Deliveroo killed the restaurant star"

I stay at home now and order in mid-week from decent quality restarants (not every night of course!)...so to be fair the kitchens might be doing a steady trade throughout the week, but with no one in the restaurant?

[Sue]

Help-Ma-Boab Wrote:

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> Remember Inside 72. I hazily do. Halcyon days.

>

> ETA: They did food.

Yes! Their burgers were good :)

[DovertheRoad]

I'll try again. What makes a local favourite? Why do some restaurants that do perfectly decent food not attract repeat custom?

[Sue]

DovertheRoad Wrote:

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> I'll try again. What makes a local favourite? Why

> do some restaurants that do perfectly decent food

> not attract repeat custom?

Which restaurants are you thinking of that do decent food but don't attract repeat custom?

[JohnL]

DovertheRoad Wrote:

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> I'll try again. What makes a local favourite? Why

> do some restaurants that do perfectly decent food

> not attract repeat custom?

I'm mainly a pub rather than restaurant customer but location, ambiance, who the other customers are and staff all play a part, design and layout even ?

[diable rouge]

What happened to Bonne Bouffe?...

[DuncanW]

Lots of new restaurants have opened in Peckham during that time, many of them are very good. There is only so much trade to round.

[DulwichFox]

diable rouge Wrote:

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> What happened to Bonne Bouffe?...

It is now a Japanese Restaurant called MONKATSU and seems to be very popular.

[Wimpole]

diable rouge Wrote:

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> What happened to Bonne Bouffe?...

Good example. The food was decent! And the people that ran it were decent too. I guess it didn't wash it's face. I think you need to be more geared to regular trade. Franklins is a perfect example of this. Obvs a neighbourhood staple and very well run. Food is good. But the casual bar at the front is now just as popular and keeps things ticking nicely.

[rupert james]

Or perhaps there is not as much loose money sloshing around ED as people believe to keep eating out.

Emperors clothes and all that

[tomskip]

We eat out as a family once in a blue moon partly because we are rarely all together but also, yes, because of the cost! I'd love to earn what you lot are earning.

[DovertheRoad]

rupert james Wrote:

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> Or perhaps there is not as much loose money

> sloshing around ED as people believe to keep

> eating out.

>

> Emperors clothes and all that

I've seen it become wealthier. Especially when renting a 2 bed flat now costs ?1500 pcm and the average 4 bed family home costs close to ?1M. But yes - still has diversity of income for sure.

[Hemingway]

We eat out about once a month, slightly under, still plenty of restaurants on my East Dulwich, Peckham and even Camberwell list that we haven't been to yet. Repeat customers must have limited taste or eat out all the time.

[Sue]

tomskip Wrote:

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> We eat out as a family once in a blue moon partly

> because we are rarely all together but also, yes,

> because of the cost! I'd love to earn what you lot

> are earning.

Obviously it's more expensive if you have children, but you can eat out quite cheaply in East Dulwich, particularly if you don't bump up the cost with drinks.

Franco Manca has great pizzas for example, with top notch ingredients (admittedly the toppings are a little sparse, but they make up for it with flavour).

Franklin's bar snacks are also great value, eg a fantastic huge bacon sandwich with really good bacon.

Also Meat Liquor's burgers.

Admittedly if you want to go to a "proper" restaurant you will pay rather more, but surely you would anywhere?

Not quite sure how a restaurant is actually defined, but Monkatsu has yummy food and isn't expensive. They also have a children's menu, I think.

Oh and btw I am a pensioner (if that is still a term in common use) so I don't have shedloads of money, but I do like to eat out :)) I just accept I then don't have the money to spend on other things!

[redjam]

I generally like trying new places but there are certain restaurants I go to regularly either because the kids like them (e.g. GBK), the food is great (the Palmerston RIP) or I like the atmosphere (Yama Momo or Meat Liquor). But I do think the Peckham restaurants are more interesting so tend to go there - maybe familiarity breeds contempt, I don't know. Bonne Bouffe was perfectly nice but the one time I went there was hardly anyone else there so sadly that put me off going again - I hate sitting in half-empty places. So sometimes I think restaurants get into downward spirals for no good reason, which is a shame.

[natty01295]

KFC

MCDonalds

Burger King

Pizza hut

Dominos

Frank and bennys in Surrey quays

Wetherspoons

[TheCat]

Well...perhaps not answering the question. But went to a restaurant call Forza Win in Peckham last night. Absolutely excellent. Don't let the hipsterific location in an industrial estate put you off. Food top notch. https://www.forzawin.com/

[Seabag]

I?ve thought about this. If I repeat custom anywhere, then it?s usually a lunchtime thing.

In the evening when I?m home, I?ll not generally eat out, and if I do it won?t usually be local on the Lane, but once or twice I?ll meet someone at Franklins or The Palmerston.

I eat out in the evening about two or tree times a week, and lunchtime around 4 - 5 times a week.

But then it is part of my job, which isn?t local mostly.

[Henry_17]

Perhaps TOO popular for their own good eh Fox?

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> diable rouge Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > What happened to Bonne Bouffe?...

>

> It is now a Japanese Restaurant called MONKATSU

> and seems to be very popular.

[Henry_17]

Butter crunch and saltiness is what will get me back OP

[TheArtfulDogger]

I find that I am more likely to repeat custom at a restaurant if they have a menu that changes, there was a great gastro place over in Wandsworth that changed its complete menu daily, with a few favourites also available (this is different from places that have a core menu and add specials on a regular basis)

You never knew what was on till you walked in, therefore it made eating there an experience rather than choosing from the same menu and running out of things to try.

In terms of pub food, I regurally frequent a few because their menu is fairly static and what they do, they do very well. So when I fancy a burger or pizza or whatever, I know where to go not to be disappointed and have a decent wine that won't break the bank at the same time.

Personally I think that variety is the spice of life when it comes to eating out, but the ability to fall back on favourites is always a good option.

It always reminds me of someone I used to know who rang the Chinese to be told their order as it was always the same and they never varied , that would drive me nuts as I like to experience new flavour combinations on a regular basis.

I do find what is now on offer locally pretty amazing and consider myself lucky to live so close to it as when I moved here you could get anything to eat as long as it was curry, kebab or pizza