WE ❤️ HOSPITALITY - Andrew Kemsley

The last year has been terrible for the hospitality sector. Most businesses have seen extreme financial challenges and its reputation as an employer has been severely affected. We are now hearing from many, many of our clients about their fears for the future from staff shortages to skills gaps and top mid-senior talent moving to other sectors.

Krishnan Doyle is sharing his conversations with service industry leaders and operators on all that is good about hospitality & catering with the purpose to improve the sector's reputation as one of the largest employer worldwide but also as a great place to develop your career. 

How did you get into hospitality?

Like everyone else by accident! My friend’s brother turned to me one day and said Andrew you’ve got a big mouth, you should work at TGI Friday’s, so I went to an ‘audition’ that’s what they called their recruitment days back then and a few days later I was attended “dub/dub” training to be a waiter. 30 years later I’m still in hospitality and love it even more now than I did then.

Do you think it is important to have studied hospitality to be a success in the sector?

Absolutely not. I struggled at school and only achieve the equivalent of 2 GCSEs, but I was introduced to the restaurant business and was given an opportunity and went with it. I fell in love with the job and the industry and now I have my dream job, as a consultant advising on new brands, concepts, service, team engagement and hospitality.

Which leader / figure inspired you and why?

Russel Joffe, the founder of giraffe. A true industry legend, old school in values and standards but always one step ahead in creating new brands and concepts. He was a pioneer of all-day dining, we served breakfast, lunch and dinner when many brands hadn’t even heard of brunch! He also made our first restaurant ‘non’ smoking’ years before the smoking ban came in!

What keeps you in the sector and why to you enjoy working in it?

Where do I start? The people, the excitement, the vibrancy, the opportunity and the pure magic of eating, drinking, entertaining and making someone’s day.

Tell us about the development / training that you give to your teams and management.

I’m a training consultant now so I’m rather obsessed with training, coaching and motivation. I’m fortunate enough to have a career providing training to many different brands operating restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels. Everyone deserves a great manager, someone that will help you unlock your true potential. Training and development is a journey that should never end. Managers and team members need specialist training to support their ‘on the job’ experience, otherwise they just learn from their line manager and that’s not always the best example to follow! An external coach and a specialist hospitality trainer that has first-hand experience of the industry, knows the challenges young managers face and has experienced the success and opportunities available is a powerful resource and one sure to provide a return on investment.

What advice would you give to those starting out in the sector?

Work hard, ask lots of questions, never give up, love the guest, love your team, love your brand and love yourself and the sky’s the limit.

If you could go back and tell yourself one piece of advice as you started your career, what would it be? 

Every bit of feedback and constructive criticism whether it true or not is all part of your personal development - learn from it.

If you would like to take part as a leader in this thriving sector, get in touch with Krishnan (krishnan@corecruitment.com)