Worthing Lifestyle Sep - Oct 2020

The new normal?
Jean de Rien, Chef Patron at The Dining Room
restaurant in Worthing talks to us about his experiences
during the recent lockdown and how things are getting
back to normal… albeit a new normal...
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How did you react to the news that restaurants should be
avoided, and then the instruction to close your doors?
My wife and I were on holiday for a short break when we heard,
but we immediately started making plans on how we could
“pivot” and change the ways we operate to make sure we got
through it all. Because of the different facets of our business –
from cake sales to fine dining and everything in between – we
have always been flexible and happy to try new things.
What did you do?
We switched to home delivery straight away with a range of
ready meals, afternoon teas and a full 3-course meal that came
with instructions on how to reheat it, assemble the dish and
present it. All three offers seemed to go down well with our
existing customers and some new ones too!
Then came re-opening in July – how did that go?
We opted to stay with home deliveries in early July… seeing how
other restaurants and eateries coped with the restrictions on
social distancing and other safety measures. We tweaked a few
things and then opened on 17th July, deciding to “go big” with
a 9-course tasting menu that paid homage to our lock-down
experiences – dishes like a “store cupboard experiment” of tuna,
mushrooms, pasta and popcorn, and a rainbow dessert called
“Thank You NHS”.
And since then?
It’s been interesting, looking at lower numbers of tables and
customers, and making
sure that both they and our
staff feel safe during their
dining experience. Our notouch
hand sanitisers have
been popular and although
our staff wear masks,
we’ve managed to keep
the friendly and intimate atmosphere in the restaurant. We still
offer home deliveries on Tuesdays for those people who remain
nervous about going out to eat… and the “Eat Out To Help
Out” scheme in August worked well in getting people to dine in,
bringing us a new audience. Sadly, the issue of customer “no
shows” persists, even in these tough times.
The real benefit of only having 12 to 16 covers now is that our
guests feel special and I get chance to come out of the kitchen
to chat with them… from a distance of course! I’ve even
managed to reintroduce some songs from the Singing Chef.
Have there been any silver linings in the crisis?
Lock-down brought communities and neighbours closer
together and I think that we played our part in that, offering
doorstep deliveries of good food. It also gave me time to rework
my approach to menus, with new ingredients and cooking
techniques, as well as recording some live demonstration
videos. I have to say that it has been great to finally see my
food back on plates rather than just delivery boxes!
In terms of masks, we’ve always been ahead of the curve, so…
Venture out for some
Amazing, award-winning and unique dining experiences, from midweek
menus to fine dining and tasting menus, from brunch to private venue
hire - we’ve got it all, including a singing chef, and all for less than you
might think…
01903 204194
www.the-dining-room.co.uk
info@the-dining-room.co.uk
14 Crescent Road
Worthing BN11 1RL