Alfred Malmros

Back in London. Went straight from the airport for a lunch at St John Bread & Wine, it was my 15th time dining there. The owner, world famous chef Fergus Henderson came in with his kids looking content at the filled restaurant. Eating some ox heart with watercress and beetroot I realised how simple the communicational structure is in many things around us, how we can relate and learn from the most unexpected things.

When he started in 1994, his traditional British food was as far away you could get from restaurant trends. Less was not more, fusion was becoming popular and Asian luxury restaurants such as Nobu was dominating the fine dining scene. I just finished The Brand Manifesto by John Grant, a great book that cuts much of the crap usually found in books with similarly brave titles. A particularly interesting chapter was the one about trends. He questions not trends as a phenomenon, but the actual need businesses have for determining them. Trends are usually impossible to predict, and the ones that comes true are usually visible cultural movements that takes no expert to spot. Grant says that the importance for businesses are not to utilise a trend, but to find new segments in the market, things missing that there is a need for. Same old simple strategy.

When Fergus Henderson started St John I doubt that there was an actual need for true British cooking to satisfy. Roast Bone marrow and Parsley and Potted Squirrel was certainly not a trend but more of a vision and a need from the creator himself. I won’t go cliché on your ass and start preaching about originality but just draw some quite evident conclusions. If you find an unexplored segment and succeed you will create your own trends, you will have a campaign (or a restaurant) with longetivity and a concept with soul rather than a hip hang out. 13 years later St John is the 16th best restaurant in the world, he created a trend, he never followed one. The receivers will find the sender, not the other way around, a truthful product, a product of value, doesn’t need the marketing and PR that all the British explorative gastro pubs needs today. It’s the same old successful word of mouth.