Now more than ever, hospitality businesses need to be more than just places to eat nice food. In a time when we are facing a perfect storm of sky-high costs and constant challenges, it can feel like the only thing for it is to keep our heads down and keep going.
The overwhelming temptation is to try and not rock the boat, work as hard as needed and hope that it all blows over soon. At least it was for me.
As 2023 barrelled on, tossing us around on the ride, and the possibility that we would close our restaurant gradually became a certainty there were many times when I have seriously asked myself why on earth anyone would want to own a restaurant right now. With everything stacked up against us as it is, why live with the constant stress of trying to keep a business afloat for less than a kitchen porter’s wage?
These are dark days, not just for our industry but for the country itself, and it easy to forget that our hardships are being played out in homes all across the country.
One thing that has kept me going is the knowledge that hospitality has the power to bring real and substantial change to someone’s life.
What we, as hospitality professionals, have the power to do is incredible. Whether it’s a warm meal or a welcoming smile the impact we can have on someone who is struggling is immense.
So part 3 of my look at the perfect restaurant is this: Impact.
This can cover a multitude of acts, big and small, but there is no doubt in my mind that the perfect restaurant would have a positive impact on those it interacts with and the wider community as a whole.
Charity begins at home they say so let’s start with our staff. Pay them properly and pay them fairly. At the Ethicurean we decided in 2021 to move to a service included model. One where the service charge was not added at the end of the meal (and could therefore be left unpaid leaving the team out of pocket) but actually included, and accounted for, in the cost of the meal. We wanted to given our team a steady, set wage all year round that would allow them to budget properly and more easily apply for mortgages and bank loans. As a heavily seasonal restaurant we knew that during the quieter months our staff generally earned less money and so to make up for that, we worked out roughly how much in tips our team could expect to earn over the year and added that to the salary.
It seemed like a good idea at the time and whilst I’m still a strong advocate for fair and straightforward wages, it did almost bankrupt us last year, which wouldn’t have helped anyone. So whilst I do continue to believe it is an owner’s responsibility to fill their restaurant and that staff shouldn’t be penalised when it’s quiet, it’s important to find a method that works for everyone.
However we do it, we must treat our staff with the respect they deserve. We see time and time again chef’s acting like dickheads because that’s how they were treated and until we break that cycle and start having a positive impact on those who work for us, we’ll never see the industry change in the way it needs to.
The way we interact with the wider community is a little more open to individual circumstances. It can be as simple as donating leftover food to a homeless shelter or a food bank, or working with a local charity to help combat the massive food insecurity problem we have in the country. The Mazi Project in Bristol are incredible if anyone is on the look out for ways to help.
Maybe your restaurant is near a school and you have the time (and energy) to welcome a class of children to the kitchen to show them a simple dish or do a demo in a food tech class. I’ve done both of these recently and despite having very little interest in children I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the experience and how rewarding it can be to encourage an interest in food at a young age.
Our restaurant is/was (depending on when you read this) an expensive venue. Not because we made lots of money, but because that’s what it cost to produce the food we wanted to cook. The fact that the vast majority of people couldn’t afford to come and experience it still bothers me greatly but I came to feel that if we were able to do something, however small, that had a positive impact on the wider community, we could give something back that way. There’s always more to do and I wish we’d done more like trialing a pay-it-forward scheme or hosting more charity events but restaurants can be all encompassing and I perhaps lost sight of the bigger picture.
During Covid, we saw the impact and power that our industry can have when we put our talents and efforts into being truly hospitable. As the country ground to a halt, whole cities of vulnerable people were fed by restaurant workers doing what they do best and putting others before themselves.
Food is political as another pithy saying goes. Our global food system is broken and it will take a huge political shift to make the changes it requires to build a better one. One that grants all people access to good and healthy food. And whilst we as chefs, bartenders, front-of-house, kitchen porters may not be politicians (thank God) or feel like we have much say, we are bloody good at food and making people feel welcome and cared for and seen. That feels pretty impactful to me.
