No More Sweary Chefs?

At the restaurant congress this week I had the pleasure of listening to Jason Atherton talk about all things Social. During his very engaging monologue, covering everything from his wife Ihra’s rainy holiday choices to the impact of rent and rates on the restaurant industry Jason frequently invited questions.

While embarking on a heartfelt appeal for a soft Brexit, I asked Jason if he had developed a specific strategy for targeting UK grown talent to replace the falling number of EU migrant workers. His response, for a chef forged by the proudly expletive Mr Ramsay was pleasantly surprising. 

“We have to be nicer!”

“We have to make the industry more attractive”

Sentiments very close to my heart, but sadly not the words that I hear from a lot of top end proprietors as I go about my daily rounds- many of whom still believe the honour of being associated with their establishment is enough to draw people in for the rest of time.

 Like Jason, I was baptised to – in his words , 18 hour days and 6 day weeks. It was like a right of passage not so long ago, if you really wanted to be considered industry tough. We took it on the chin, manned up and wore it as a badge of honour as we baptised the next wave. The benefits were there, so much learning, speedy career progression, the theatre of the best venues in town that were our playground. But they were indeed the days when hospitality was blazing a trail in London. The pound was strong and the world wanted a slice of the pie.

Fast forward to now and there is a different reality. Markets abroad have stepped up their game, Singapore and Dubai have drawn talent away for years and cities like Berlin and Barcelona continue to be a massive magnet for hospitality talent within Europe. Yes London is still a leader in world cuisine terms.. but there are many more options now for the pool of entertainers that have chosen to serve. This inevitably means we have to help more people to choose our wonderful industry, the ones that were not born to feed!

Jason’s main advocation was for making restaurants more life friendly. He has colleagues, not staff and to quote;

“A venue should be bigger than the individual.. so when the individual isn’t there, the experience for the guest doesn’t change.”

This way it belongs to each and every member of the team and doesn’t just stand to inflate the brand or ego of one chef or owner. This shared ethos, that does not rely on celebrity or individuals to make the dining experience for EVERY guest helps establish a work life balance for all. So team members don’t miss their kids’ sports day or gran’s birthday and they can do the school run from time to time.

The sense of Family within the business too is clearly something that Jason has fostered – a feeling that is re-enforced by his 2 year reward. Each team member that has been with The Social Company can benefit from their expertise throughout their career even after they leave the business, whether that is support with HMRC issues, applying for Visas or taking HR advice- even investment in future projects. This willingness to give back to those who have given to you and your guests is the warmest of gestures.

Jason is under no illusions that the wider industry is in for some tough times over the next 5 years, in a very open admission he stated that he has shelved projects recently while awaiting more political and economic certainty in the UK. A sad but understandable stance, although his adventures continue in Asia, with the soon to be launched Socharu at The Edition in Shanghai.

The truth is no matter how nice we are there will still be battle to win when it comes to attracting the right people and keeping them within our businesses. But IF as an industry we can continue to innovate and embrace what a new generation of candidates expects from their working life we will give ourselves and them the best chance to succeed. And maybe along the way, the Sweary Chefs will have to take their place in the hall of legends.

Wishing Jason, Ihra & his extended family every success as they grow!!

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