The Fat Duck factsheet

The Fat Duck

High Street, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AQ

If you've always wanted to dine at The Fat Duck, we are the best people to get you a reservation. Read below for our essential facts on how to conquer the restaurant's complex booking procedure and, if it leaves you craving some snail porridge or eggs cooked in liquid nitrogen, call our Restaurants team to discuss making a reservation.

The restaurant

• The Fat Duck was opened by self-taught chef Heston Blumenthal in 1995.
• It is one of only four restaurants in the UK to hold three Michelin stars and is currently ranked as the fifth best restaurant in the world according to San Pellegrino, having previously held the number one spot.
• It is due to a combination of Heston’s reputation, the awards it has gained, the uniquely experimental style of cooking and a particularly small venue that tables at The Fat Duck have become so sought-after.
• Our restaurant specialists receive more than 500 requests a year from members wanting to dine at The Fat Duck and, because of our relationship with the restaurant, we can fulfil many of these. But what is the process should you want to make a reservation yourself?

The booking procedure

• The Fat Duck accepts bookings up to three months in advance of the proposed date and tables are released on the first of every month. For example, if you wanted a table for any date in May, tables would become available on 1 March at 9:30am. Spring is probably the best time of the year to attempt to make a booking.
• Reservations are made online using the Fat Duck's website
• Credit card details (including the CVV security code and billing address) are required at the time of booking - a reservation cannot be completed without this information.
• The phone line is open between 11am and 2pm, Monday to Friday, with staff available to answer any questions you have regarding a new or pre-existing reservation.
• The restaurant’s reservations team is made up of just three people. Therefore, getting through can be difficult - you can spend up to 40 minutes just trying to get through to the restaurant.

• Cancellation policy:
• For five or six guests, seven working days’ notice is required. Otherwise there is a £150 per person charge to the card.
• For three to four guests, five working days’ notice is required. Otherwise there is a £150 per person charge to the card.
• For two guests, three working days’ notice is required. Otherwise there is a £150 per person charge to the card.

The finer details

• The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. It is closed all day Sunday and Monday.
• The largest table sits six people.
• The restaurant has only 13 tables:
• Two tables of six
• Four tables of four
• Eight tables of two
• There is no à la carte menu, just the tasting menu, which is priced at £180 per person (excluding VAT). The restaurant recommends that you allow four hours for dining. The average spend, including wine and service, is roughly £230 to £250.
• There is no dress code.
• There is no chef’s table.
• None of the tables offer views of the chefs cooking.
• One cannot arrange gift vouchers or third party payment.
• There are no return times on tables, meaning your table is yours for the entire evening.
• Weekend tables are the most sought after so you are more likely to be successful in booking a table for a weekday.
• There's no bar or waiting area in the restaurant – members who are meeting people often have a drink first at one of Blumenthal's pubs: The Hinds Head or The Crown.

The Restaurant team at lifestyle concierge

• We have a good working relationship with the reservations team at The Fat Duck. It doesn't hold tables for anyone but the restaurant does give us its cancellations (although this tends to be for tables of six, as these are the most difficult to re-allocate).
• When we call or book The Fat Duck online on behalf of a member, it saves them a great deal of time. Booking a table at the restaurant is the dining equivalent of trying to get tickets for a Take That concert.
• We can add members to The Fat Duck’s waiting list if we are unable to secure a booking immediately. This will have more influence and make you more of a priority than a normal guest adding themselves to the waiting list.