Exclusive: Marco Pierre White says put your prices up

At an intimate culinary masterclass held at Unilever's KNORR's Kitchen in Leatherhead, Marco Pierre White told the invited guests that they must be brave to withstand the worst of the current recession.

The Hell's Kitchen personality said the key to surviving the economic downturn was clear; simply increase your prices.

Speaking exclusively to EatOutMagazine.co.uk, Pierre White said: "People shouldn't have to step up their game during a recession. Standards should already be high. People should have the confidence to put their prices up. Why change your business model? If you start losing 10% then simply put your prices up by 10%."

He added that restaurateurs must be braver and urged them to stand their ground and have more belief in their product.

"It's logical, don't you think?," he asked guests. "You may lose some customers and that's inevitable. But when you go down the route of introducing set menus and lowering prices there's no way back from that."

Pierre White also spoke about fellow celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and the media furore surrounding him after his derogatory comments about Australian TV presenter Tracy Grimshaw. He said: "When you're abroad and representing this country, I think you have a duty to show your best side and show some respect."

One of the guests asked Pierre White if the celebrities featured on his recent Hell's Kitchen series were hard work. "It's not too hard to suppress someone's ego, when yours is bigger," he joked.

The TV chef was joined by KNORR National Chef of the Year winner Simon Hulstone and competition winners from the contract catering industry.

Words: Clare Riley

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