The Staff Canteen Live 2020: Front of House Networking Lunch at Adam Reid at The French

After successfully running Networking Lunches for chefs for the past three years, the team at The Staff Canteen yesterday launched the first Front of House series.

The Staff Canteen Live Networking Lunch at The French from The Staff Canteen on Vimeo.

Hosted by chef Adam Reid and the team at Adam Reid at The French in The Midland Hotel in Manchester, the event was attended by 15 exciting and influential industry guests.

Sponsored by Hoshizaki, Meiko, Gusbourne, Chef Works and Lavazza, the lunch aims to give those who work in front of house the opportunity to network with others within the sector and talk face to face with suppliers.

The guests

Those in attendance at the launch were John Holden, Tameside College; Thomas Mercier, L’Enclume; Judith Hudson, Y Celestryn; Nicola Maccabe, The Grapes at Bamford; Ewen Crilley, University of Derby; Angharad Jarvis, Coleg Cambria; Marcus Exelby, The Star Inn at Harome; Oliver Kaviani, Joro; David Dysart, Panoramic 34; Felipe Giminez, The Art School; George Norrie, Hipping Hall; Kate Lax, Skosh; Szymon Rog, Le Cochon Aveugle and Ashley Lawler, Three Little Words.

Thomas Mercier, Director of Restaurants based at L’Enclume, said: “Today has been a great way to all get together and share our experience of the day to day life that we have. We have a very fast-paced industry so regrouping and sharing is very important for the future and will make the industry stronger." 

In terms of meeting our sponsors today he added: “Meeting the person is very important; meeting the person is meeting the product and the brand. For us to promote this brand in our restaurants better we have to meet them and today we’ve found out more about them and heard stories behind the products which help us do that.”

Ashley Lawlor, Reservations Manager at Three Little Words, said: “It’s been so nice to sit down together and have lunch in such an amazing place. It is so important for front of house to understand other people’s point of view and aspects of what we are doing in the industry so we can make sure we are all doing it to the optimum – this event allows us to network and do that.

“It’s been great to learn about what suppliers can offer –and it was very interesting to see for example how Gusbourne want their wine to be sold. Today has been exciting and inspirational.”

After enjoying a few glasses of Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs and snacks they indulged in a five-course lunch which was finished off with a coffee of their choice from Lavazza. Dishes on the menu included Cornish brill with leeks and a ‘Café Mocha’ dessert.

The sponsors

Mark Cooke, National Account Manager for Meiko said: “It’s a fantastic way to meet people, we have new products launching next week so it was great to talk to people about those. It’s hard to get hold of people, everyone is busy, so a networking lunch like this is ideal as you have a captive audience.

“We are looking forward to doing more.”

David Cutler, Brand Ambassador and the UK Head of Training for Lavazza coffee, added: "It was a really good opportunity to meet a different part of the team and particularly in our business, a more important part of the team.

“This event is a really good way to get people engaging with your product, particularly if your product is food and drink. During the lunch it means they can see it, taste it and try it, which naturally sparks up more conversations about it.

“It’s almost like, a little bit of market research as well. You get to find out what people think about your brand, whether they have heard about your brand and your products - and if they have what they think about it.”