Tennerfest will be returning for its 24th year this October – and the organisers are confident that it will be a bumper year for the participating restaurants, hotels and bars.
June Ozanne from Hamilton Brooke, the company behind Tennerfest said: “We all know that last year was a strange and difficult one and, with no incoming visitors, we were prepared for it to be a quiet Autumn season. But the feedback from many restaurants was that they had a record Tennerfest year in 2020 with locals eating out lots. With the visitor economy being active again and approaching full strength by the time Tennerfest starts in October, so we have high hopes for a really great year.”
The organisers are keen to give credit where credit is due and add that it is the efforts of the participating eateries and the enthusiastic support of the dining public across the islands that really make Tennerfest.
June explained: “We are only here as an organiser of the promotion, the restaurants, hotels and bars fund it collectively and it’s the appetite of thousands of hungry islanders that keep it going.
“In a way, it’s come full circle, having started out as a promotion to get more visitor ‘bums on seats’ during the Autumn months, it’s evolved into a local institution, with friends and family all asking if you want to ‘go for a Tennerfest”.
The menus start at £10 but after 24 years, cost of living increases alone would put that at nearer to £20, so it’s now not just about that price, but about value for money across a range of fixed prices.
David Nussbaumer of Cobo Bay Hotel, The Farmhouse and the Doghouse restaurants said: “We absolutely love Tennerfest. Our customers ask when the menus will be out and really look forward to it. It’s good for Autumn business.”
John Corr, Head Chef and Proprietor of Aromas added: “It’s great to be able to welcome people back to the restaurant that we have not seen for a while and see everyone out enjoying themselves. The fixed-prices on the menu are our way of saying thank you to our customers and welcoming new people in”.
As one of the restauranteurs explained, “There aren’t many main courses alone now that come in under £10 so to put on a full menu even under £20 is a challenge, but our chef gets very creative and we manage it, because we know it works for us.”
Tennerfest will run from 1st October to 11th November 2021, and islanders can visit the Tennerfest Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages for the latest information about the event.
The main picture shows a dish at Jersey’s Wildfire restaurant.
