With the Michelin Guide UK having announced its 2017 results earlier this week, Craig Allen, managing director of London’s leading hospitality recruitment company The Change Group considers what achieving a star means to a restaurant and its staffing requirements.

Arguably the industry’s most coveted award, the Michelin Guide firmly puts a venue on the map though maintaining a star is a big challenge.

“Restauranteurs need to work hard to maintain a certain standard across all areas of the business, meaning increased work load for employees”, comments Allen. “Employers need to consider whether their staff are going to be able to work longer hours, or whether they need to invest in new employees.”

When recruiting, employers may need to seek out individuals with more experience, therefore paying higher salaries and offering more benefits such as training and role development, to attract the right candidates.

Michelin starred chef Tom Aikens also comments: “Getting one star and then two stars at Pied a Terre helped put me on the map and made people know who I was which made recruiting a lot easier. At Restaurant Tom Aikens it was a little bit different as I was expected to get a star, but having one definitely makes recruiting easier.”

This year the Michelin Guide UK announced all the movers and shakers at a live event held in London with Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck regaining it's three stars, James Close's The Raby Hunt achieving a second star and 18 new one stars.

>>> Read more from the Michelin Guide UK 2017 here