Restaurant Reviews & Suggestions - Where to eat?

Sure, but theyre not very good at communicating the business case. Spend Per Head also only becomes a big concern, if you're full (eg: theyre taking up the space from higher spenders).

See the quote from the chef below from his insta. And then you realize that theyre only open for lunch... If your target audience is defined by:

-People who are happy to pay cash only
-People who are happy to book via phone or post card only
-People who will have 2 bottles of wine for lunch and/or £100+ spend per head

You kinda cornered yourself. There are tech solutions in abundance to secure the audience he wants to. Deposits, pre-paid experiences, minimum spend policies that are getting agreed to when booking...etc. Im sure he'll say that it would make the experience "soulless".

I love a good bit of oldschool hospitality, reservations in comically large books on a desk, tableside service...etc, but the world has gone past this concept.

I think generally he has a fair point but expecting people to be ordering large amounts whilst also only being open for lunch is probably a bit of a contradiction.