Aizle restaurant in Edinburgh moves to a 4 day week to give staff a better work-life balance

Stuart Ralston, chef owner of Aizle in Edinburgh has announced he will only be opening 4 days a week in a bid to reward his staff and improve his own work-life balance.

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The restaurant will now be closed on Sundays as well as Mondays and Tuesdays but he’s not the first chef to make this change; two Michelin-starred The Raby Hunt and Restaurant Sat Bains made headlines when they cut the working week a few years ago and last year the Burlington Restaurant also opted for a 4 day week.

There’s a three-month waiting list for Aizle, despite this Stuart told the Edinburgh Evening News: “For the past three-and-a-half years our staff have all worked extremely hard to make Aizle the success it is, and in line with my own desire to create a healthy lifestyle, I want to create an environment for my staff that’s equally healthy.

“There’s a tendency to overwork in this industry, the days are long and can be very physically demanding, so it’s important we all have a chance to enjoy life away from the workplace.”

Stuart has been travelling for most of his career. He left Scotland at just 21 and worked with Gordon Ramsay in America and became head chef of L’Acajou at the highly luxurious ‘Sandy Lane’ hotel in Barbados before coming home to Edinburgh to open Aizle with his wife Krystal in 2014.

Last year it was included in TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in the UK and the top three restaurants in Scotland in the Observer Food Monthly Awards 2017.

Stuart, who is dad to two year-old Sonny, also said: “Since we opened three-and-a-half years ago I’ve spent virtually zero time at home – and it will be better for the staff too.”

He added: “They were super-happy – not because they don’t want to be here, they’re all super-dedicated. But I see it as a reward for sticking around.

“It’s difficult for a small business but they are all young people and put in so much work to make the restaurant what it is.

“I’ve been cooking for 20 years and it’s often 15-18 hours a day. I’m telling them now it’s important to look after themselves from a health point of view.”