AA rosette restaurant pulls out of guide due to lack of inspections

A chef has withdrawn his restaurant from the AA Restaurant Guide after claiming inspectors failed to visit for five years.

Rob Clark (pictured below), who has run Clark’s in Scarborough since 2016, said he was “disappointed” by the AA and that he would no longer pay an annual fee to be included in its guidebook.

Clark’s was first inspected on a Monday evening in 2018 and received one AA rosette, which recognises restaurants that “stand out in their local area”.

The chef said he was given “quite significant feedback” by the inspector, which led the team to have monthly meetings to review and improve the restaurant.

However, the guide never returned to make a reassessment, despite telling Clark that he was overdue an inspection when he paid the annual fee to remain in the guide in 2022.

The AA’s website states inspectors normally revisit restaurants every 12 – 18 months.

“As chefs the AA has always been one of those awards that we aspire to achieve,” he told The Caterer.

“We don’t work for an award system, we work for our customers, but it’s been a driver of our working practices over the years. If you are paying that [annual fee] you expect to be reinspected.

“Maybe it’s not a priority for [the AA] to come to a 26-cover restaurant, but we’d like to find out how we’ve improved. They haven’t shown any interest in wanting to come.”

Clark said he was told by the guide that they were unable to visit because the restaurant was not open for lunch and operated restricted hours.

The chef posted about his decision to leave the guide on Instagram in early March and said he had since been contacted by other chefs who also felt they were due a reinspection after paying to be included in the guide.

According to the AA website, restaurants can apply to be assessed for rosettes and must pay £350 plus VAT for the first inspection visit. If a restaurant is awarded a rosette, they will be charged an annual administration fee of £185, plus VAT, to remain in the guide. Clark said he had paid £222 a year.

When The Caterer contacted the AA, the organisation said several factors had delayed its inspections since the pandemic.

Simon Numphud, managing director at AA Hospitality & Hotel Services said: “We’re sorry to hear about the decision from Clark’s restaurant to leave the rosette scheme. It’s hugely important to us to work with the hospitality industry to celebrate and reward exceptional quality, as well as offer ongoing guidance and support for our members.

“Our usual inspection cycle is 12–18 months and we are working hard to fulfil this commitment. Our schedule has been impacted by a range of delays caused by lockdown restrictions during the pandemic, as well as reduced operating hours triggered by staff shortages across the industry.

“It’s our utmost priority to visit as many venues as possible in 2023 and we have made a number of changes within the organisation to facilitate this, which includes extended weekend work for our inspectors.

“We have so many great hospitality venues across the UK that live and breathe exceptional quality and it is a great privilege for our inspection teams to observe this first hand.”

Clark admitted he was worried leaving the guide could have a negative impact on the business, but planned to take down all the AA rosette plates when the restaurant is closed on 3 April. "Hopefully [our] reputation outweighs a plate on the wall,” he said.