The AA Guide, a UK-wide restaurant guide, will start charging some restaurants around the UK a fee to be included in the rosette scheme and guide, which applies to existing award holders and new restaurants wishing to be reviewed.
Restaurants that have been awarded AA rosettes will have to pay £180 by the end of March, and failure to pay could result in the loss of the prestigious award. However, the fee only applies to restaurants who have received one or two rosettes, while restaurants with more rosettes, and those that fail to achieve any, will not be subject to the fee.
The payment is for the whole year and includes an entry into the annual restaurant guide and the newly launched website. The AA 2021 Guide will be published in September.
The change is likely to affect more than 2,000 listed restaurants, plus new restaurants wishing to be included. However, the AA Guide no longer accepts recommendations or applications, as local inspectors decide which restaurants will be reviewed in the area.
Bread Street Kitchen is featured in the AA Guide
The reviewing organisation has justified the fee by writing on Twitter: "Our inspectors visit, pay their own bill and provide feedback that results in Rosette plates being posted out and proudly displayed on restaurant walls up and down the country."
AA already charges hotels and B&Bs a fee, based on the number of bedrooms, to be included in the hospitality guide.
The AA has been reviewing restaurants since 1956, and was the first nationwide organisation to start handing out awards in recognition of quality food and service in the UK. AA rosettes are often held in high esteem along with Michelin stars, and three to five rosettes tend to be indicative of a Michelin star. The highest number of rosettes that can be achieved is five, and the 2020 guide has listed 18 restaurants that meet this standard.
Want to hear about more reviewing news? Read about the first Japanese chef in France to be awarded three Michelin stars.