Restrictions on the number of tied pubs in the 1990s made more space for entrepreneurial chefs and landlords to launch their own sites, according to the guide.
“Other factors have also significantly changed access by the trade to prime sites,” it said. “25 years ago, the City of London and top landlords thought restaurants were non-U and prevented them from opening.”
‘Secure a name chef’
“Nowadays, any new development works hard to secure a name chef to PR.”
The shake-up of gastropubs in London was driven by a growing industry backed by private equity, it added.
“The Punch Taverns deal – part of the sell-off by the brewers of the pubs – was one of the first to start to whet the appetite of the investment trade for the restaurant business.”
Historically, the trade had been funded from savings, the landlords’ or chefs’ friends and family or business “angels”, it said.
“The arrival of serious money [from private investors] on the scene nowadays provides the prospect of a bonanza exit for anyone with a hot idea apt for a ‘roll-out’. This promise is reflected today in the never-ending stream of new ventures.”
Harden’s 10 best bar/pub food sites:
- The Anchor & Hope
- Harwood Arms
- Bull & Last
- The Ladbroke Arms
- The Jugged Hare
- The Truscott Arms
- Princess Victoria
- Pig & Butcher
- The Camberwell Arms
- The Eagle
The highest ever rate of new restaurant openings in London was also recorded in the latest edition of Harden’s London Restaurant guide.
Meanwhile, the Anchor & Hope, the Harwood Arms, the Bull & Last, the Truscott Arms and the Eagle all feature on the Top 50 Gastropubs list 2015. For more information about next year's Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list visit www.top50gastropubs.co.uk.