Described as ‘the best steak deal in the country’, the offer is available Monday to Friday from opening until 6.30pm across all of the Argentine-themed steakhouse chain’s 20 locations.
“The £15 steak and chips offer is all about giving our guests what they want - high-quality, nutritious meals that work with their busy schedules,” says Gaucho marketing and sales director Mark Sansom. “It’s a premium, protein-packed dish served quickly, at an unbeatable price.”
The deal has been designed to undercut Hawksmoor’s £19 main and a side lunch deal which also features - amongst a few other options including a burger - a rump steak.
The deal was launched early this month (1 July) and is available at the majority of the group’s 10 UK restaurants.
Publicising the deal, the group said it was on a mission to prove “Hawksmoor is not only for the very best Sunday roasts or cosy winter treats – it’s your new favourite summer hangout too, and the perfect excuse to stop in for a sizzling summer deal”.
The statement lays bare the challenges steak restaurants face during the warmer months when customers default to lighter options and venues that have a brighter, more summery feel.
But it’s also illustrative of the challenges restaurant operators of all types face getting guests through the door amid intense levels of competition and a squeeze on consumer spending as inflation rises and real wages fall.
Other high-end restaurants chains are also dropping their prices in a bid to attract business.
Last month, Restaurant revealed that Tao Group Hospitality was reducing some of its prices at its London restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha in order to “cast a wider net”.
Price alterations for existing dishes include Hakkasan’s charcoal grilled Japanese A5 wagyu beef with sake and black truffle honey sauce going from £105 to £95; and the price of Yauatcha’s £28 crispy duck salad being halved.
The US-owned company’s UK boss Jared Boles says the decreases were achieved through a combination of reducing portion size and lowering operating margins.
“You can’t raise prices in an empty restaurant,” he says. “Margins might be tighter than ever but consumers are experiencing financial anxiety and that is causing them to go out less. Over the past two quarters we have looked to reposition our offering.”