where hospitality people meet
What makes a truly great restaurant manager in today’s economy?
by Sophie Roberts-Brown, executive director, Academy of Food & Wine
Last week we at the Academy of Food & Wine held our first UK Restaurant Manager of the Year competition. The final, with six finalists who had made it through the preliminary rounds of the competition, was held at the Langham, London, with the name of the winner announced at a gala dinner at the hotel, attended by many well-known faces from the industry and the world of restaurant management.
This was the inaugural year of the competition, established because several Academy members commented to us that while sommeliers were well-catered for in terms of competitions, there was very little for restaurant managers. So we set up the competition with the aim of recognising the very vital role of the restaurant manager and we were fortunate in securing prestigious sponsorship from the newly established National Skills Academy for Hospitality, as well as from the reservation systems company OpenTable.
The dinner was buzzing as industry greats such as Elena Salvoni (Elena’s L’etoile), Silvano Giraldin (Le Gavroche), Jesus Adorno (Le Caprice), Diego Masciaga (Waterside Inn) and David Morgan-Hewitt (The Goring) attended and became members of the Academy’s new Restaurant Manager Hall of Fame in recognition of their service to restaurant management.
Joining them now is our very first UK Restaurant Manager of the Year Peter Avis, restaurant manager at Babylon at the Roof Gardens, London. Liverpool-born Peter, 33, was a popular winner and one who encapsulated the perfect restaurant manager. He has bags of personality and confidence, the ability to get on with people, a thorough knowledge of his trade and the sensitivity to judge when customers want to chat, and when they don’t and crucially, the ability to manage and motivate his team.
But all six of our finalists had their own particular strengths. Some had a more formal style of service, some less so, according to where they worked. Some were experts in the art of service, others had a broader skills set. But it was a broad skills set we were looking for, as we realised that our search for a UK Restaurant Manager of the Year would have to reflect the demands of the current trading environment and the changing role of the restaurant manager.
As well as being tested on their communication skills, ability to get on with people and their food and wine knowledge, our six finalists were asked to submit a business plan for a new, city centre restaurant including a projected profit and loss account for the restaurant’s first year of trading. Most candidates realised that this also meant that budget would have to be allocated for launching the business, marketing and PR, staffing and all the overheads the business would incur. The restaurant concept would also need to be thoroughly thought through with a menu, clear target audience and brand positioning.
Peter Avis’s business plan, for a restaurant called Swift, based in Kensington High Street, stood out as one of the best. He had carefully worked through the costings, the promotions, the menu, food sourcing, staffing and structuring and the marketing plans. Together with his obvious skills as a restaurant manager, his business knowledge was impressive. With just a few minor tweaks, his was a plan that could almost go straight to a financial backer, while the concept he came up with was strong, modern and attractive.
When asked what it is they enjoy about their jobs, most of our candidates said it was the showmanship that appealed to them; the fact that it’s the restaurant manager who is in charge of the whole floor and whether it works well or not. One finalist said he loved the challenge of making things right, when everything had the potential to go wrong, while another said he loved making sure that everyone left his restaurant having had a good time.
The role of the restaurant manager, like many positions in the hospitality sector, is as broad as you want to make it. Some restaurant managers command the restaurant and everything that goes on it, while others are also heavily involved in the business too – from promotions, purchasing, marketing and PR. And with every restaurant in the UK currently having to watch its expenditure but still encourage customers in, the restaurant manager’s skills are paramount.
We at the Academy hope that, like Peter Avis, the winners of the future will all reflect the growing importance of the role of the restaurant manager – and as long as employers in the hospitality use these skills to their full potential, we have the ability to turn this hitherto unrecognised role, into something that young people coming into the industry will aspire to.
About the Academy.
Founded in 1988, the Academy of Food and Wine is the industry’s professional training body, dedicated to skills, wine service and food service. The Academy's purpose is to identify, promote and maintain the highest professional standards for the education and training of food and wine waiting staff and bar assistants in the UK hotel, restaurant, catering and bar industry.
Its objectives are: for every practicing waiter/waitress, wine waiter and bar assistant in the industry to be a member of the Academy – their professional body; to gain greater recognition for these operatives throughout the industry by accreditation, badging and recognition; to help members develop, maintain and advance their knowledge, skills and ability; to provide an interface between educators, service staff and their employers; and to enhance member's career prospects.
Currently the Academy has 250 individual and 500 establishment members.
Last week we at the Academy of Food & Wine held our first UK Restaurant Manager of the Year competition. The final, with six finalists who had made it through the preliminary rounds of the competition, was held at the Langham, London, with the name of the winner announced at a gala dinner at the hotel, attended by many well-known faces from the industry and the world of restaurant management.
This was the inaugural year of the competition, established because several Academy members commented to us that while sommeliers were well-catered for in terms of competitions, there was very little for restaurant managers. So we set up the competition with the aim of recognising the very vital role of the restaurant manager and we were fortunate in securing prestigious sponsorship from the newly established National Skills Academy for Hospitality, as well as from the reservation systems company OpenTable.
The dinner was buzzing as industry greats such as Elena Salvoni (Elena’s L’etoile), Silvano Giraldin (Le Gavroche), Jesus Adorno (Le Caprice), Diego Masciaga (Waterside Inn) and David Morgan-Hewitt (The Goring) attended and became members of the Academy’s new Restaurant Manager Hall of Fame in recognition of their service to restaurant management.
Joining them now is our very first UK Restaurant Manager of the Year Peter Avis, restaurant manager at Babylon at the Roof Gardens, London. Liverpool-born Peter, 33, was a popular winner and one who encapsulated the perfect restaurant manager. He has bags of personality and confidence, the ability to get on with people, a thorough knowledge of his trade and the sensitivity to judge when customers want to chat, and when they don’t and crucially, the ability to manage and motivate his team.
But all six of our finalists had their own particular strengths. Some had a more formal style of service, some less so, according to where they worked. Some were experts in the art of service, others had a broader skills set. But it was a broad skills set we were looking for, as we realised that our search for a UK Restaurant Manager of the Year would have to reflect the demands of the current trading environment and the changing role of the restaurant manager.
As well as being tested on their communication skills, ability to get on with people and their food and wine knowledge, our six finalists were asked to submit a business plan for a new, city centre restaurant including a projected profit and loss account for the restaurant’s first year of trading. Most candidates realised that this also meant that budget would have to be allocated for launching the business, marketing and PR, staffing and all the overheads the business would incur. The restaurant concept would also need to be thoroughly thought through with a menu, clear target audience and brand positioning.
Peter Avis’s business plan, for a restaurant called Swift, based in Kensington High Street, stood out as one of the best. He had carefully worked through the costings, the promotions, the menu, food sourcing, staffing and structuring and the marketing plans. Together with his obvious skills as a restaurant manager, his business knowledge was impressive. With just a few minor tweaks, his was a plan that could almost go straight to a financial backer, while the concept he came up with was strong, modern and attractive.
When asked what it is they enjoy about their jobs, most of our candidates said it was the showmanship that appealed to them; the fact that it’s the restaurant manager who is in charge of the whole floor and whether it works well or not. One finalist said he loved the challenge of making things right, when everything had the potential to go wrong, while another said he loved making sure that everyone left his restaurant having had a good time.
The role of the restaurant manager, like many positions in the hospitality sector, is as broad as you want to make it. Some restaurant managers command the restaurant and everything that goes on it, while others are also heavily involved in the business too – from promotions, purchasing, marketing and PR. And with every restaurant in the UK currently having to watch its expenditure but still encourage customers in, the restaurant manager’s skills are paramount.
We at the Academy hope that, like Peter Avis, the winners of the future will all reflect the growing importance of the role of the restaurant manager – and as long as employers in the hospitality use these skills to their full potential, we have the ability to turn this hitherto unrecognised role, into something that young people coming into the industry will aspire to.
About the Academy.
Founded in 1988, the Academy of Food and Wine is the industry’s professional training body, dedicated to skills, wine service and food service. The Academy's purpose is to identify, promote and maintain the highest professional standards for the education and training of food and wine waiting staff and bar assistants in the UK hotel, restaurant, catering and bar industry.
Its objectives are: for every practicing waiter/waitress, wine waiter and bar assistant in the industry to be a member of the Academy – their professional body; to gain greater recognition for these operatives throughout the industry by accreditation, badging and recognition; to help members develop, maintain and advance their knowledge, skills and ability; to provide an interface between educators, service staff and their employers; and to enhance member's career prospects.
Currently the Academy has 250 individual and 500 establishment members.
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