Why losing an AA Rosette ties into an ongoing trend in Scottish hospitality
The AA rosettes are given out over the course of the year, but some are also taken away
The AA recently announced the latest recipients of their coveted rosettes, which included restaurants in Scotland.
According to the AA, the long-established AA Rosettes for culinary excellence “celebrate successful cooking at different levels across the UK.”
They are awarded by the AA's team of inspectors with their wealth of experience in assessing quality, receiving this award is a significant achievement in this industry and beyond.
Launched in 1956 by the AA as a guide to travelling to good places to eat (much like the Michelin Guide), the AA Rosette inspectors assess the quality of food served by restaurants and hotels across the UK.
AA Rosettes range from five to one, with three AA Rosettes given to all outstanding restaurants achieving standards which demand national recognition well beyond their local area, while those awarded four are considered among the top restaurants in the country.
Two AA Rosettes are awarded to excellent restaurants that aim for and achieve high standards and consistency in their cooking, with obvious attention to detail to the selection of quality ingredients.
One AA Rosette is given to restaurants that achieve standards that stand out in their local area. AA inspectors will note that “they serve food prepared with care, understanding and skill, using good quality ingredients”.
There are updates to the rosettes guide in spring and autumn for those who have won two or more rosettes, while single rosettes are awarded at time of inspection.
But what happens when you lose one, or all, of these coveted accolades?
While new additions are welcomed and often celebrated, some restaurants lose their rosettes and, looking at those who have over the course of the year, there’s a pattern which shows a growing trend in hospitality in Scotland.
The Gannet in Glasgow and Sandemans Restaurant at Fonab Castle Hotel in Pitlochry are two of the 18 Scottish restaurants that have lost rosettes this year. The reason for these losses is that they’ve closed, signalling a continued move away from fine dining.
The Gannet, which had three rosettes, shut at the end of 2025 and has reopened as a ‘more accessible’ neighbourhood bistro, Eleven Fifty Five. To all accounts, it looks like it’s thriving.
Sandemans, which also had three rosettes, was a restaurant I visited last autumn and had a wonderful multi course tasting menu paired with wines in a dining room that I likened to something out of the Traitors Castle has also closed with the food and beverage focus now on a less formal 1892 Grill restaurant.
These closures point to a wider trend of diners choosing what’s more affordable and less ‘celebration-like’ as we all battle with rising costs and stagnating wages. Hospitality too has been hit hard with their own rising costs and no rates relief, so offering a cheaper menu option may make sense for some, even if it means saying goodbye to accolades such as those AA Rosettes.
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