It is owned by Yorkshire businessman Adam Frontal and the current executive chef Brayden Davies, who has worked at multiple Michelin star restaurants, has led the kitchen since early 2023, offers a new tasting menu on a monthly basis.

Reception by food critics has improved over the years; the restaurant held a single Michelin star until 2019 and three AA rosettes.

It serves modern French cuisine, and has also been awarded three AA rosettes and listed in Harden's restaurant guide.

The Box Tree has been located at 35–37 Church Street in Ilkley since its original opening under Malcolm Reid and Colin Long in 1962.

[8] To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the restaurant in 2008, Gueller recreated elements of the 1963 menu, but decided not to make certain dishes such as chicken chasseur or melon boats.

[3] In 1979 future multi-Michelin star chef Marco Pierre White began working at the Box Tree at the age of 17, under Reid and Long; he received his training at the restaurant.

[20][21] LePratre-Granet left the restaurant in 2001, and was replaced by Toby Hill, the youngest chef ever to hold a Michelin star.

[10][25] Goodway left the kitchen shortly after the restaurant lost the Michelin star, but stated that the decision had been taken before they had been informed.

[3][5] Having been friends with Simon Gueller since they were teenagers,[27] Marco Pierre White returned to the restaurant in 2007 in order to film segments for the ITV1 cookery reality television show Hell's Kitchen.

[16][27][28] White has aspirations to work with Gueller to return the Box Tree to its former status as a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.

[18] She thought that the chef was good, but needed time to settle in and described his wife Rina in front of house as a "complete natural".