Heston Blumenthal announces ballot system for The Fat Duck
Heston Blumenthal fans will have to go into an online ballot for the chance to experience his famous Fat Duck menu in Australia.
The ballot, to be operated through www.thefatduckmelbourne.com will open at 9am on October 8 and close on October 26, with about 16,000 diners given the opportunity to experience the $525 set menu once the restaurant opens on February 3.
The price tag, which excludes drinks, will make The Fat Duck the most expensive restaurant in Australia, but this is unlikely to dampen demand. Crown has fielded about 40,000 inquiries from customers desperate to get a seat since Blumenthal announced the restaurant's relocation from England to the Southbank casino complex six months ago.
Prior to Wednesday's press conference in Melbourne, the celebrity chef laughed at rumours that Crown's casino high rollers had already booked tables.
"I wish we were that organised," the chef said. However he said there would be no preference for local diners in the ballot.
The entire staff of The Fat Duck (located in Bray, a village outside London) is moving to Melbourne - a massive coup for Crown, but a significant logistical and financial undertaking for Blumenthal. The staff will be put up at Crown for the entirety of their six-month stay.
He defended the $525 price for a four-hour meal consisting of 12-15 courses.
"Unless we charge $10,000 a head, you'd be losing money. So Crown have got to get the balance between - you'll have some high rollers, some big spenders, and that young couple who it might be their lifetime thing [to] save up and get in.
"For me it's really important to get that balance."
The Melbourne Fat Duck will exist at Crown from February until August next year before being turned into a local outpost of Blumenthal's London restaurant, Dinner by Heston, in October.
Last month Blumenthal said he chose Melbourne to open The Fat Duck, his first international restaurant, because he saw Australia as a stepping stone to the exploding Asian market.
Blumenthal said he would be in Melbourne for a few weeks after the The Fat Duck opens in February to ensure everything runs smoothly.
"I will certainly be here for the first three weeks to a month for the opening," he told goodfood.com.au. "I'm certainly going to come back for the middle, and I'll be back at the end ... I might be there longer. It all depends on my commitments back home."
The cost of fine dining set menus in Australia (excluding drinks)
The Fat Duck, Melbourne (12-15 courses) $525 (opens February 2015)
Vue de Monde, Melbourne (10 courses) $250
Attica, Melbourne (8 courses) $190
Brae, Birregurra, Victoria (10 courses) $180
Aria, Sydney (7 courses) $175
Quay, Sydney (8 courses) $225
Marque, Sydney, (8 courses) $165