‘You’ve got to really love it’ - Galvins celebrate 20 years of restaurant group

Especially in the current hospitality climate, keeping restaurants running for two decades is a feat worth celebrating.

And that is exactly what brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin are planning to do.

Next month marks 20 years of the pair running restaurants together, mainly in London. The group, which once had 14 establishments, now has three, including Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle.

On Tuesday, May 20, the group’s flagship restaurant will host a gala dinner, where La Chapelle head chefs from the past will return, combining with current executive chef Arturo Granato to create a six-course meal.

“I think it's important to actually mark, in a much smaller way, each year that goes past,” Jeff told The Staff Canteen.

“With the staff that have been there for periods of time, it's nice to mark that. Quite strangely, this year it seems like a few guys are celebrating. Tom Kerridge I remember opened the same time as us back in 2005, he’s celebrating 20 years, the guys from Chez Bruce are around 30 years.

“It’s not easy to stay relevant.”

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stability is key

Asked what the key to longevity has been, Jeff added: “It’s all about the team really. It’s about having people long term, keeping staff, that really helps.

“It’s a bit easier now because we’re a lot smaller. We’re just three restaurants now. At one point we had 14 open at the same time. But key individuals I think, both in the front and the back, right the way down from the senior down to the juniors.

“Being busy makes that much, much easier. We don’t have too many peaks and troughs, thankfully. Being always busy is much easier to control, rather than busy at the weekend and quiet on a Monday, Tuesday.”

Chris added: “It’s also creating a culture of ownership. Jeff and I are always keen that one day they’re going to have their own business and restaurant – how would you want your restaurant to look?

“A lot of it is to empower people, to make sure we have a culture of training and development. We do an awful lot of that. And also working with the best suppliers we possibly can find.

“We have huge loyalty going more than decades. We've known great grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers and sons in some of our butchers and game dealers and fishermen.

“And the end of the day, it’s a passion. You’ve got to really love it. It’s a bit of a calling, I would say.”

special celebratory dinner

Returning to cook at the gala dinner are Warren Geraghty (Tom Kerridge group), Zac Whittle (Rogues), Andre Garrett (Corinthia London), Joo Won (Calong), Eric Jolibois (private chef) and Josh Barnes (Chef’s Table by Josh Barnes).

“One of the most fulfilling things is when we invited the chefs back, it was probably the quickest answer I've ever had back,” said Jeff.

“We've got one coming over from Bordeaux, one down from the north of England. It will be lovely to actually get them together. They're all from different eras, and they still remain very close, which is very pleasant.”

Asked how nice it is to see their old staff going on to do so well, Chris said: “That's really a massive part of my wage. I think with Jeff and I, it's always been that way, to see people develop, go and get stars, open successful businesses.

“A big part of our training outside the kitchen is finance. We're very strict on the fact that they've all got to understand what P&L is, because too many chefs, especially in my era, didn't worry about money.

“Accountants weren't really involved in business, there weren't any systems. It was pen and paper.

“We're thrilled that all the guys have done so well. They've travelled the world, they've won Roux Scholarships, they've been in the Bocuse d’Or.

“I’m very, very proud of everybody.”

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Arturo Granato's impact

Currently running the pass at Galvin La Chapelle is Arturo Granato, who joined in 2022 having previously worked at the likes of Clermont Club and Club Gascon.

“It was a tough one really for him at the start,” Jeff explained.

“I think when we came back from the pandemic, like everybody, staff were very thin on the ground, both in the front and the back. But it was a nice time to reset with him and I think we were kind of lucky in that we got somebody who had done a similar role before.

“He's done an incredible job. But right from the offset I could see he’d been taught really as we would teach somebody, to be all-encompassing. As worried about maintenance and finance as he is about the ingredients and stuff like that.

“We spent a good six months night and day together.”

Chris added: “Arturo has also brought an evolution to Jeff and I. Myself cooking 50 years and Jeff 36 years, we’re getting near octogenarians. To have someone come in and bring a nice evolution, that still honours our brand, our way of cooking and our style, that's a good marriage that works well between us.”

Navigating the Storm: How the Galvins Are Future-Proofing Their Business

Many experienced chefs in the UK point to now as the toughest time they have ever had in the industry to make ends meet.

Asked how they are navigating the current challenges, Chris said: “We've always said, we're a bit like a pair of brogues, we’re never in fashion, but we’re never out, but we're beautifully comfortable.

“How we feel is that people have saved up or it is precious money they're spending in the restaurant. We really have to look after them and what we want is them to come back, tell people.

“What we did last year, Jeff and I looked at each other and said crikey and it's true, in 50 years, I've never seen it this difficult. It's the perfect storm, but we spent nearly half a million quid in refurbishing La Chapelle.

“We had to make a decision. Do we go cheap and cut costs or do we go for quality, which is what we did. Profits were severely hit, that's for sure, like everybody else.

“We spent a lot, but I think it was the right thing to do. It wasn't easy. We sat around the table, we had plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D. They were ending up in the bin and then half hour later we were going in the bin and pulling them out and saying actually, there was some merit in plan C. But I think our experience helps, nearly 80 years in the industry.”

Jeff added: “We're also optimists as well. I don't know if it's foolish or not, but I do feel good times can't be far away, because we've had some tough times.

“So I think it's going to be weathering the storm and being ready to pounce on the good times when they come.”

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plans for the future

Asked how far into the future they look, Chris said: “I think you've got to. If you don't set waypoints into the future, you'll quickly become lost.

“Obviously age wise, I'll be 67 this year, so there has to be some sort of shift in what we do. So it's about empowering our team now with Jeff, his role changing into a more overarching role, inspiring our people.

“After the Michelin awards ceremony in February, straightaway before the next lunch we said right, now we start again, earning our star this year, earning our Bib Gourmand at the Green Man. We desperately want to earn our Bib Gourmand back at the Bistrot, which we lost due to pricing. Ingredients went up. We weren't going to cut farmers short.

“So we do need a sat nav for the next few years, for sure.”

Tickets for the gala dinner are priced at £225, which includes paired wines or alcohol-free drinks pairing, on sale here.