PROFILE: Brief financial insight into one of the world’s most prestigious Restaurant chains.

The catastrophic credit crunch and resulting price crash would be enough to make any of the London’s top restaurant owners loose their appetite. It is no secret that when money is short - one of the first things that people stop spending money on is expensive cuisine. This would appear to mean bad news for London’s burgeoning restaurant scene which in recent years has seen its status and credibility enhanced to the point that it now represents a credible rival to Paris and New York as the best food city on earth. This position could however be threatened as the world’s economy looks increasingly set to face slow down and consumers cut back on their luxury good purchases. As the word "recession" begins to creep back into city conversations, London’s top chefs should perhaps take more notice of the FTSE 100 than their fois gras.

One restaurant chain that can breathe a bit easier than the rest is the Blue Elephant. Long established both in Britain and overseas in twelve countries including Belgium, Holland, France, Bahrain, Moscow and Thailand - the group continues to post excellent gross and net profits, despite the reduction of people choosing to eat out reported in recent months. Blue Elephant is due to host a series of seminars showcasing the nutritional development of Thai food. In a time when restaurant goers are increasingly demanding that what they eat be as good for their health and constitution, as it is for their pallet - the news that Thai food has massive nutritional value is certain to reassure management.

Top food experts in Thailand will travel to Blue Elephant restaurants across the world and demonstrate their discovery that signature Thai cuisine including Som Tum (papaya-carrot spicy salad), Kaeng Liaeng Kung Sod (Mixed vegetables with basil soup and Nam Phrik Long Rua (Stir-fried shrimp paste chilli dip with sweet pork), have been tested and found to be effective in reducing hypertension, thrombosis and some variants of cancer. In an economic climate where the government is increasingly struggling to service exorbitant NHS debts, it would come as welcome relief for alternative remedial solutions to the problem in hand.

A visit to a Blue Elephant Restaurant is an experience unto itself even before you’ve sampled the food. The rich and opulent Thai decor with its focus on bamboo and intricate oriental pictures makes one feel like you have entered onto the set of a modern day production of "A Passage to India". It is this sense of tradition that makes you realise that unlike its rivals, Blue Elephant has a standing and presence about it which suggests it will still be trading profitably when more will of the wisp competitors have come and gone.

The famous Blue Elephant chain is so named because of the significance of the colour blue as the Royal colour on the Thai National flag and the respect as a holy animal that the elephant creates in Thailand. The old Thai adage goes that you never forget when you meet a Blue Elephant; the distinct style of these restaurants inevitably means that the same effect is evoked each time you set foot on one of their premises.

Discerning patrons, potential investors and competitor restaurateurs alike should take note of the steady and relentless rise of the Blue Elephant Group which now boasts restaurants in twelve countries spread across the globe. Despite their massive success Blue Elephant retains the same personal and idiosyncratic appeal at each and every one of their restaurants. The success of the Blue Elephant chain, as its name suggests, proves that big truly can be beautiful.

The Blue Elephant chain was initially formed in 1980 by Khun Nooror Somany Steppes, a Thai woman living with her Belgian husband Mr. Karl Steppe, in Brussels, where the first Blue Elephant was opened. Driven by a passion for Thai cooking and a determination to introduce Thai food to foreign cultures where it had traditionally not been sold - Khun Nooror with the support of her husband and other partners quickly established what became one of Europe's leading Asian restaurants. The renowned Blue Elephant restaurant in London further established the name, followed by Paris and Copenhagen. Today there are 12 Blue Elephant restaurants serving the best in Royal Thai cuisine throughout Europe, and the Middle East. The chain has recently expanded its portfolio to include a range of high - profile Indian restaurants, most notably La Porte Des Indes in Bryanston Street, London.

One of the top Thai cuisine restaurants chains in the world, Blue Elephant is known by food lovers the world over for its authentic Thai taste, its consistently high standards of quality, and its promotion of the best in Thai culture. A recipient of numerous awards, Blue Elephant has been at the forefront of bringing Royal Thai cuisine and the beauty of Thai culture to people around the world while striving to benefit Thailand and the Thai people. A vast majority of the Blue Elephant workforce is made up of Thai nationals and all the Blue Elephant restaurants are beautifully decorated in an array of authentic Thai handicrafts, lush plants and its very own stream running through it. A large proportion of the food served at the Blue Elephant restaurants is flown in fresh from Bangkok, handled by Blue Elephant Bangkok Co., Ltd., which maintains an active Thai based supply and trading operation. The Blue Elephant Group has recently started its own line of Thai products in Waitrose, which is sure to add to an already successful brand.