I can imagine nothing worse than hauling my mother into central London with the promise of fine dining and a glass of wine only to find the restaurant closed. But that’s what would happen if I was dumb enough to heed the advice from Fitzrovia’s so-called business improvement district.
The Fitzrovia BID’s latest newsletter — decorated in pink with chocolates — invites subscribers to treat their mothers this Sunday 30 March.
“Wine her and dine her. Whatever her taste, Fitzrovia will do her proud, especially on and around Charlotte Street”, say the Fitzrovia BID’s marketing people.
“There’s Michelin-starred delights at Pied à Terre,” or “The best seafood restaurant can be found by booking a table at Pescatori, who will make you feel welcome and can talk you through their menu of fish, seafood and other dishes with an Italian influence,” and “Gigs at 12 Tottenham Street have been serving traditional British fish ‘n’ chips and Greek food since 1958.”
These are all fine restaurants. But the problem with these venues is that none of them are open on a Sunday and none of them intend opening especially for this forthcoming Mothering Sunday.
Quite how the Fitzrovia Partnership Business Improvement District can be so stupid as to promote restaurants on the very day of the week when they are closed to customers is beyond my understanding.
The Fitzrovia BID is not some small outfit run on a shoestring. This is an operation that collects around £1,000,000 from a levy on over 200 businesses every year to promote commercial activity in Fitzrovia.
Have a great Mothering Sunday in Fitzrovia. But please ring in advance to book a table and to check the place is actually open.