Reinvented Welsh diner hands back its star rating
WALES IS home to just seven Michelin-star restaurants – but one of those has handed back their star after the business opted for a change in direction.
The Checkers, now rebranded as the Checkers Pantry, was one of the holders of the coveted food accolade, but despite being in the Michelin Guide this year, they’ve taken down their star.
Owners Stephane Borie, Sarah Francis and Kathryn Francis, who run the restaurant in Montgomery, now offer light lunches and breakfast from their venue, along with renting out the five rooms. They also prepare homemade meals as takeaways.
Kathryn said: “The motivation to change was a lifestyle choice – we needed to change the business so we could work more in the daytime and less in the evening.
“We’ve had to reinvent the business, but with the same ethos – really good, tasty food and informal service. Which is why we’ve moved over to offering breakfasts and light lunches.”
But despite the change, some things will remain the same, and a number of the Michelin-star dishes have been moved on to the lunch menu.
“Some dishes have transferred from evening service to lunchtime service,” said Kathryn.
“We’ve got a cheese souffle, for example, that was always very popular on our a la carte menu.
“There are dishes we had served in the evening that we now serve in the daytime, and they’ve transferred over very well.”
Kathryn added that the restaurant had called the Michelin Guide last summer but because of timing, they are still mentioned in the new 2019 edition.
She said: “We called the guide at the end of the summer, to let them know. We gave them a call as a courtesy really, just to let them know we were changing our offering dramatically.
“The Michelin star has always been positive to us and we have huge respect for the guide. It was just a case of us transferring the business over so it could work for us and our family longer-term.”
Kathryn added: “We’re in the guide for this year but we try to make it very clear that our offering has changed significantly.”
For more information on the recently rebranded Checkers Pantry, visit their website .