There have been accolades aplenty for Sat Bains and his team this year and the latest was bagging the number one spot in the Times Top 100. The two Michelin-starred chef has been in the industry for 28 years and his slow, consistent approach he believes is a key foundation when aiming to be the best. The Staff Canteen spoke to him about his plans for next year, how dropping to a four day week has hopefully sparked a change in the industry and what topping the Times 100 list really means.“It was a massive surprise,” said Sat. “We were sixth (in the Top 100) last year and I never thought we’d get the top spot. What’s brilliant about this list is people have actually paid money, eaten with us, enjoyed the experience and they have all voted.
“That’s ultimately the goal, when you get your customers voting with their money and coming to the restaurant – I think that’s amazing.”
Sat set out to have a world class restaurant and because of that he has to employ world class staff and offer a world class service. This is not something he and his team take lightly and the reinvestment which is put back into the the restaurant with rooms, Sat says is ‘phenomenal’.
“We try to keep showing the staff that we work with that we are genuinely interested in their development,” Sat explained. “Also, if they feel fulfilled in their workplace they are going to perform at a better level.”
The top three of this year’s Top 100 were all restaurants outside of London; alongside Sat was Daniel Clifford at Midsummer House and Simon Rogan with L’Enclume, a positive reflection of diners eating habits changing and their willingness to travel.
Sat said: “We haven’t got the footfall of London in terms of the amount of covers coming to our restaurant but all three of us are very different and chef patron led. We are all doing our own thing and if you are looking for a reflection of what diners are voting for, they are looking for something very individual.”
He added: “Amanda and I noticed over the last ten years that people are travelling further afield for that gastronomic experience and we’ve had to adapt our standards to make it more attractive. We’ve traveled extensively and seen brilliant restaurants all over the world so we try to apply some of what we’ve seen and make a little pocket in Nottingham, a world class destination restaurant.
“I’m not saying we are there by any means but that is our goal.”
After a an intense and terrifying experience on Everest, being awarded the Special Award at the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards and he received the 2015 Chef Award at this year’s Cateys; what has Sat got planned for 2016?
“It’s not something we set out to do,” laughed Sat. “You don’t know how these things are going to pan out. I’ve always believed in being slow, consistent and things should be built on solid foundations.
We’ve always liked to keep progressing, evolving - I never have liked to stand still. Amanda refurbished the rooms, we’ve built a development kitchen – but these are not done to get us three stars in the Michelin guide, it’s just something we feel we really want to do ourselves, we want to keep pushing while we feel we can.
“2015 has been amazing and I’m not saying that’s it, that’s all you’ll hear from us, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I believe we will keep pushing forward and if the accolades and the guides see that then you naturally will progress.”
Sat’s wife Amanda is also a massive driving force behind the restaurant’s success and he says ‘they have two very different mind sets’.
He said: “Ones very business, hotel, restaurant led and ones very chef led. There are things that I don’t see and things Amanda doesn’t see but we compliment each other to make sure the restaurant is world class.
“The goal is to be the best and we have a team who we have employed and we believe are the best too so, you end up with like-minded people all pushing for a like-minded goal.”
Sat also hit the headlines when he announced his restaurant would be changing to a four day week, for him it was about creating a culture of a good work/life balance so those in the hospitality industry believe it is the industry for them and are hungry to stay in it.
“We did that (the 4 day week) solely for ourselves,” explained Sat. “We didn’t do it to change the industry, we did it because we looked at our own books and thought how can we get longevity in this industry that we love? It’s the best job in the world – I’m a chef, a restauranteur, how lucky am I?
“I want the next generation to see that and because I’m hands on I want them to say ‘I want a career like Sat’s got, I want to be in an industry 28 years’.”
Despite saying he didn’t make the changes to the restaurant’s working week with the intention of changing the industry; it seems he has struck a chord with The Raby Hunt and Le Gavroche, both changing the working hours and Michael O’Hare from Man Behind the Curtain openly discussed his reasons for his staff only working a 45 hour week - a life outside the kitchen!
Sat said: “We’ve all got to be realistic in that things have to change but it’s been done before me, I haven’t changed things by any means.
“But it is an issue across the industry, it’s something we recognise and changing the hours is something we’ve done for ourselves.”
By Cara Pilkington@canteencara
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