The fourteenth of February and the Valentines hysteria swells among the nations High Streets. Restaurants lathered with passionate red and decorated with roses and candles; await the bustling custom of expectant couples… This day, repeatedly fills more tables and amasses more profit than any other- So why do we feel pressured and cultured to ‘eat-out’ on the most intimate date of the calendar?

While the lavish bouquets, romantic music and heart-shaped balloons do their best to provide a cosy ambience of desire and commitment, the commercial appetite of St. Valentine burdens wallets and purses. With reservations a virtual requirement, restaurants are able to anticipate their custom. This allows them the opportunity to twist and turn the financial screwdriver subtly increasing the prices of wine and champagne, both conventions of the day- all in the name of love. By producing a set-menu, restaurants can place high-prices ‘per-head’ - using the exclusivity of tables on this special occasion as a tool of exploitation. Furthermore, by restricting menu variet restaurants cut costs yet keep the quality of food and presentation constant. So what are we paying for?

Encouraged by media standards we aspire to create the perfect day for our loved ones over velvet tables. However by selecting to eat out Valentines becomes impersonalised- as an assortment of couples experience the same practice side by side.

While pre-planned wild acts of affection may provide short-term impressions, surely it is the company of our loved ones which creates a sincere and lasting effect…