Episodes
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Anna Haugh: “I thought London would freak out if I opened an Irish restaurant”
The chef behind Chelsea’s Myrtle talks to BigHospitality editor Stefan Chomka about her high flying cooking career and what makes Irish dairy so special.
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Philip Eeles of Honest Burgers on using tech to keep his team motivated
Honest Burgers has done a better job than most of keeping its teams engaged throughout the pandemic, using Workplace from Facebook to host everything from 80s-themed HIT classes to interactive conversations about mental health.
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Alex Hall: “It’s about creating a culture for the future”
The chef ambassador of FairKitchens discusses why chefs need to look after themselves - and each other - in this time of pandemic.
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Kolamba: “What we want for the next year is just stability”
The co-founder of Soho-based Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba describes his first full year in business as being a ‘rollercoaster’.
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Farika Holden: “Building a brand is not easy, but it's been good for my mental health"
How publican Farika Holden created food business Grateful Pies after being forced to close her London pub because of Coronavirus.
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Rare Restaurants to ramp up hot food delivery with virtual brands
Rare Restaurants is planning to expand its hot food delivery service by increasing the reach of its existing Gaucho and M Restaurants-branded offerings as well as introducing a number of virtual brands that aren't attributed to its existing restaurants.
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Wingmans duo: "We don’t want to expand at a rate where we lose control”
Wingmans founders Ben Ford and David Turofsky say that while further expansion for their cult chicken concept is on the cards, it’s not something they’ll be considering any time soon.
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Ikoyi duo: “To come back as we were felt insensitive”
The pair behind celebrated London restaurant Ikoyi have described the operational changes to their restaurant as a ‘cultural response’ to the pandemic.
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Podcast: Makan Malaysia duo on delivering Malaysian food across the UK
Two Malaysian food entrepreneurs say the enforced lockdown of hospitality earlier in the year has been the motivation behind them changing their business model completely.
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Charlie Mellor: "I've never had any money but I've always had a lot of wine."
The Laughing Heart owner Charlie Mellor says the crisis has necessitated a drastic rethink of the East London restaurant's wine list.
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Roast owner Marc Bevan: "I'm like a caged animal"
Marc Bevan says re-opening his Roast Restaurant in Borough Market is not viable following the collapse of both the tourist and office worker markets in central London.
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David Moore: “People will come back to fine dining”
Pied à Terre owner David Moore says he is confident his restaurant will be able to weather the Coronavirus crisis, providing it isn’t hit with another enforced lockdown closure.
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Jun Tanaka: “As soon as I heard restaurants could reopen I booked into three of my favourites”
Jun Tanaka, chef-patron at The Ninth in Fitzrovia, says his restaurant won’t reopen until mid August when he has his full front of house team back in operation.
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Rupert Gutteridge: "Covid 19 is the catalyst for digital tech in restaurants"
Digital menus, pay-at-table apps and even robots that deliver food could become more prevalent in restaurants following the Coronavirus pandemic as businesses look at ways to reduce contact between staff and customers.
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Geetie Singh-Watson: “Eleven days’ notice for the guidelines is infuriating"
Restaurateur Geetie Singh-Watson says that hospitality businesses should have been given earlier confirmation from the Government about when they could reopen and believes that the guidelines issued to the sector have been inadequate.
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Podcast: Selin Kiazim on ditching the service charge
Selin Kiazim says the reopening of her restaurants post lockdown has given her a blank canvas on which to draw on, which is why the time is right for her to scrap service charge.
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David Carter on creating a more stripped-back version of Smokestak
Shoreditch barbecue restaurant Smokestak re-opens its doors tomorrow with a simplified offer centred around meat cooked overnight sold by the 100g.
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"The readiness to make sure people enjoy themselves can still be there” - Chuku's talks reopening
The founders of Nigerian tapas restaurant Chuku’s in Tottenham say physical distancing will not detract from the socially-driven spirit of their restaurant.
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“There’s going to be no honeymoon period” - Claude Bosi on re-opening
Claude Bosi is less confident about UK restaurants bouncing back than their continental counterparts because of differing attitudes to eating out on these shores.
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Ranjit Mathrani on re-opening MW-Eat
MW-Eat chairman and co-owner Ranjit Mathrani is planning to open the whole of his 10-strong estate of London Indian restaurants on 4 July.
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Mark Gurney on having to close Larry's after just four days
Mark Gurney, Nicholas Balfe and Matt Bushnell's follow-up to Salon and Levan was forced to close after just four day's trading.
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Anthony Demetre on re-opening and a possible return for Arbutus
Anthony Demetre has re-opened his King's Cross restaurant Vermuteria offering an abridged takeaway menu alongside coffee and vermouth-based drinks.
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Sebastian Lyall on his 'Covid 19-proof' restaurant
Bar and restaurant and immersive entertainment group Lollipop is opening a ‘Covid 19-proof’ interactive restaurant in Chelsea this summer.
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Podcast: chef Arbinder Dugal on opening Attawa in London's Dalston
Chef Arbinder Dugal has discussed the difficulties faced by those such as himself, who were forced to change their restaurant opening plans as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Sam Harrison on his re-opening plans and his upcoming celebrity quiz night
Hammersmith restaurant Sam's Riverside plans to relaunch as soon as the Government allows with a new seafood terrace offering.
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James Lowe: “A strength we have is we don’t mind changing things last minute”
ASAP Pizza, the takeaway pizza restaurant that is being launched today (10 June) on the ground floor of Flor in London’s Borough Market, could occupy the site long after lockdown has been lifted, according to co-owner James Lowe.
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Anna Haugh: "Nothing the Government says right now makes running a fine-dining restaurant feasible"
Chef Anna Haugh says owner-operated fine-dining restaurants such as her own will face further significant pressure if forced to implement a two-metre social distancing gap between tables.
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Podcast: the Hot 4 U founders on launching a new business during lockdown
The founders of recently launched delivery brand Hot 4 U say there is plenty of opportunity for chefs to develop new concepts and ideas while the Coronavirus crisis is ongoing.
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Whatley Manor's Sue Williams and Niall Keating on Paradise Carriage
Sue Williams and Niall Keating have launched a food truck operation within the manicured grounds of their Cotswolds hotel Whatley Manor.
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Tom Kitchin on the plight of Scottish hospitality
Edinburgh-based chef restaurateur Tom Kitchin says he is deeply concerned about the Scottish hospitality industry, which is expected to re-open for eat-in no early than August.
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Big Mamma: "We are appalled at how the UK Government has handled this crisis"
Big Mamma co-founder Victor Lugger says he is appalled at how the UK Government has managed the crisis within the hospitality sector caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Kray Treadwell on launching his debut restaurant in a post lockdown world
Reopening a restaurant once lockdown is over is one thing, but chef Kray Treadwell will launch his debut venture, 670 Grams, in Digbeth, Birmingham, once the Government has relaxed its lockdown rules for hospitality.
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Tommy Banks on adapting to life after lockdown
Chef Tommy Banks says that his two restaurants will have to adapt to a post-lockdown word but that he wouldn’t be cutting prices in an attempt to attract people back to his venues.
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Elizabeth Haigh on going it alone at Mei Mei
Elizabeth Haigh is now back behind the stove at her Borough Market food stall Mei Mei making Singaporean preparations to aid home cooks, including curry pastes and sambal chilli sauce.
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JKS says delivery is 'crucial' post COVID-19 as it re-opens estate
JKS Restaurants CEO Jyotin Sethi says that delivery should be a core part of most restaurant’s strategy post lockdown as the sector looks to soften the blow of social distancing measures and a possible lack of demand.
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Sat Bains: “I got the measuring tape out. It’s devastating to see the damage to any business”
Social distancing measures when restaurants are allowed to reopen will present huge challenges for businesses, according to the chef-patron of two Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms Restaurant Sat Bains.
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Stosie Madi: "Rural pubs stand a good chance of surviving this crisis"
Parkers Arms chef patron Stosie Madi says she believes that rural pubs have a good chance of surviving the Coronavirus crisis.
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Bristol restaurateur Larkin Cen on how going all in on delivery has paid off
Bristol-based chef restaurateur has reported a 200% rise in delivery orders following the closure of his four restaurants for eat-in.
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Restaurant Associates - “We’ve been talking to colleagues in Asia about how they are managing”
Restaurant Associates managing director Alice Woodwark says she has been getting advice from the group’s colleagues in Asia on how the UK operations can reopen with social distancing measures in place.
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Podcast: how Creams has continued to operate during the lockdown
Creams commercial and operations director Elton Gray has spoken about how the dessert-focused chain has maintained a portion of its operation throughout the Coronavirus shutdown, and is even preparing to open new sites this summer.
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Brad Carter: "I don't like to just roll over"
Birmingham restaurant Carter's of Moseley is now producing up to 140 high-end meal boxes per week for delivery locally and will soon take the service nationwide.
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Asif Muhammad: “The music stops when the cash runs out”
Restaurant consultant and Macellaio RC director Asif Muhammad has advised restaurant operators to keep cash within their businesses at all costs.
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Ben Murphy: "To not know what we're going to be walking back into is heart breaking"
Ben Murphy has described the emotional upheaval that came with being forced to close his Launceston Place restaurant.
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KERB duo: “We will see people turn to street food as a way of surviving”
The street food sector could play an even more significant role in the UK’s dining out scene in a post lockdown world, say KERB founder Petra Barran and KERB CEO Simon Mitchell.
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Yard Sale's Johnnie Tate: "The focus isn’t on making money, it’s on survival”
Yard Sale Pizza co-founder Johnnie Tate has described the first few weeks after the Coronavirus lockdown was announced as an “extremely hectic period” for the business.
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Kricket's co-founder on how delivery might fill the gap post lockdown
Rik Campbell believes that delivery and takeaway could support some restaurants through a tricky post-lockdown trading environment.
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Wing Fest’s founder on how the pandemic is affecting events and street food
With social distancing rules likely to be in place until the end of the year there’s a big question mark over 2020’s food festivals and other larger food-related events.
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Angela Hartnett: "times of crisis show how amazing this industry is"
Angela Hartnett has praised the hospitality’s industry’s response to the Coronavirus crisis.
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Podcast: The Honest Burgers duo on reopening, helping charities and their 80s-themed HIT classes
Honest Burgers has been impressively proactive during the Coronavirus crisis, with initiatives including HIT classes and state of the nation addresses for furloughed staff, helping out charities and even finding its team work in other sectors.
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Podcast: Zoe Adjonyoh on turning her catering company into a community kitchen
Chef and author Zoe Adjonyoh believes more support is needed for small enterprises such as her own that are looking to pivot and refocus their business as a result of the Coronavirus crisis.