If you want to stand out in the big London restaurant scene, you have to do something special. The planned posh restaurant “Bacchanalia”, which is to open in the exclusive London district of Mayfair at the end of the year, is now causing a stir with an unusual job advertisement. In early October, Caprice Holdings Restaurants, the company behind Bacchanalia, ran a major ad in the Sunday Times seeking a professional “grape feeder” – the company’s first in London, according to the company. What exactly the task is is not described, but it is relatively easy to guess: As in ancient Rome, the visitors are fed fresh grapes directly into their mouths by the grape feeder.
The demands on applicants should not be underestimated. Because not only a basic knowledge of Greek and Latin is required, applicants should also have “beautiful hands”. The benefits for future grape feeders are not only food and drink in the luxury restaurant, but also manicures.
The “Bacchanalia” is located in a former Porsche exhibition center that is currently being renovated. According to the “Evening Standard” it will be decorated in the style of ancient Greece with statues, frescoes and 2000 year old antiques. “This isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a breathtaking feast for the senses, a place where you’re drawn into another world,” the restaurant promises on its website. Greek-Italian specialties are served in the restaurant. While no menu has yet been released, and consequently no prices, the daily says lunch prices are expected to be in the range of £300.
The fact that the restaurant is not only dedicated to simple food is already clear from the name, which is a reference to the Bacchus festivals in ancient Rome. The celebrations, based on the Roman god of wine Bacchus, often ended in rampant orgies of alcohol and sex. Because these festivals became more and more extravagant over time, the Roman Senate made them subject to approval in 186 BC.
The London restaurant is owned by British billionaire Richard Caring, who also runs other posh restaurants in the city, including “Sexy Fish” in Mayfair and “The Ivy Asia” with three locations in posh districts. It wasn’t until the end of August that he demonstrated that Caring itself is a bit extravagant. Because he wanted to plant new trees in his garden in the London district of South Kensington, the 74-year-old had part of his street closed by the city – for two weeks. To complete his project, Caring needed a crane to hoist the trees over several rows of houses on his £40million property. Not only the local residents were angry about the action and the city council, “who indulges in the whims of a billionaire who wants to have a beautiful garden”, as a resident put it in the “Guardian”. Not only did four bus routes have to be diverted for the action, Onslow Square is also considered an important thoroughfare for emergency services, who also had to make a detour.
Sources: Evening Standard, Guardian, Bacchanalia
