Over 400 of the capital's ventures have already registered their interest via the festival website and will now be issued with official registration documents and guidelines. The Festival has been created by restaurant critic Fay Maschler and Simon Davis, her business partner in the consultancy A Private View, and is supported by Visit London and Mayor Boris Johnson. The London Restaurant Festival team has been working with a number of high profile London restaurants and chefs to create content and secure exclusive festival activities for the six-day event. Marcus Wareing, of Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, explained what it means to him to be part of the event: "I am proud to be part of the London restaurant scene. We offer some of the best cuisine in the world from the most diverse range of restaurants. In this current climate what a great idea, a celebration of our existing restaurants and a reminder of how unique London really is. Food is fun and for six days in October everyone can see just how much!" A key 'event' that all London restaurants are invited to take part in is the Festival Menu programme. Maschler believes that a Festival Menu should explain and deliver the essence of each participating establishment. Festival Menus provide the opportunity for restaurants of any ethnicity to convey precisely what their cuisine contributes and the part it plays in the range of restaurants that London possesses. The menus will be an opportunity to concentrate even more than usual on creativity, seasonality, surprise and good value. Jacob Kenedy, from Bocca di Lupo, added: "I am incredibly excited about the London Restaurant Festival – it promises a whole new perspective on the food of our magnificent city. The activities and events are imaginative, fun and intelligent. "The festival may well provide a forum for restaurateurs to showcase and discuss their offerings, but will more importantly give customers a great way to get involved in our thriving foodie scene. We Brits spend more than enough time bemoaning the worse aspects of cuisine in this country – here at last is a chance for us to celebrate the highlights instead." Restaurant registration documents and more information on the festival's events are available at http://www.londonrestaurantfestival.com or by emailing [email protected].