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Surely it has happened to you many times that you want to dine at a restaurant and there is no availability; or you have to make a reservation weeks in advance. It is something common in prestigious restaurants, with several stars and high priced menus. But what if we told you that the restaurant with the longest waiting list in the world is a small tavern located in Bristol, with an average ticket of 40 €? Would you be willing to wait no more and no less than four years?
The sought-after restaurant is called The Bank Tavern and is located in the heart of Bristol, in the southwest of England. This small tavern has been open since 1800 and has experienced everything from two world wars to numerous riots and economic crises. They call themselves “a small pub with a big heart”. And that is probably the secret of their great success.
In the tavern’s own social networks, they humorously published a reservation of two friends who, after three and a half years, were able to enjoy the prized Sunday roast.
Its most popular and sought-after offering is the Sunday Roast menu, a Sunday roast that usually includes a 30-day dry-cured veal tapa and slow-cooked pork belly. It also comes with starters like Greek squid balls with mint yogurt and tomato sauce, and for dessert, delights like raspberry yogurt panna cotta and gooseberry gooseberry sponge cake. The price is around 25.5 € if you choose two courses and 31.5 € for the full menu. All this is endorsed by the recognition they obtained in the Observer Food Monthly Awards 2019 as the best Sunday Lunch in Bristol.
According to Sam Gregory, owner of the restaurant, in an interview with The Guardian, the secret of its success is to offer quality products and proximity while maintaining a reasonable price for local people, because he never wanted “price to be a barrier to good food”. He only serves about 160 dinners a week.