THE owners of a Ponteland restaurant have been forced to adapt their offering due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Chefs Danny Land and Ryan Carr, along with front-of-house manager Stephen Pitfield, opened Eleven in May 2021.
The modern British restaurant on Main Street had solely offered a set tasting menu, but customers will now also be able to choose from a menu of small plates designed to be shared.
"It just gives people a little bit more choice and a little bit more freedom to spend what they want," said Danny.
"The tasting menu was £65 and I think with the cost of living, it put people off straight away so we wanted to make it more accessible.
"We have kept the tasting menu as well though because I think a lot of people really like it and it is a big part of what we do."
Danny said the changes are being implemented following an "incredibly difficult" year.
"We started during lockdown, but we certainly felt that last year was tougher than that," he said.
"We definitely saw a decline in people coming out. I think that was the same for the industry as a whole."
He added: "It just seems to be one thing after the other, you get through Covid and then there's the [Ukraine] war and the cost of living.
"I think everybody is watching what they spend, and the first thing you do when you tighten your belt is cut back on the luxuries and eating out, and certainly eating out for a £65 tasting menu is definitely a luxury.
"We did have to fight to get through, as many did, but we did manage it.
"But we said come January we need to change something to be able to carry on."
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Eleven's ethos of being produce-driven will remain the same, Danny said.
"We're not compromising on anything we do," he said.
"We are cooking with the seasons and whatever is available to us."
The restaurant's tasting menu, priced at £70pp, will now be a blind tasting menu.
"We in the kitchen will cook whatever we feel is the best representation of our restaurant on that day," said Danny.
The restaurant has been closed since New Year's Day but will re-open on Wednesday, January 11.
Eleven has recently been named in the Good Food Guide with an overall rating of 'Very good'.
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