WE ❤️ HOSPITALITY - Dan Kelly

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? 

I always wanted to work in the hospitality industry, from as far back as I can remember. I think from the age of about 8 or 9 I had decided I was going to be a chef.

The only other careers that interested me were accountancy and teaching. Strange mix, but as my father quite rightly would always say to me, “being a chef is the only career that will need you to be good at all three of those. The other two only needs you to be good at one!” and that was it, I could do it all if I became a chef! 

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

Not always. I say that because we are all different and require different things to achieve success. Some need to be taught how to get there, and others are able to find their own way, with a natural ability. In fact, many have been successful because they haven’t been stifled by being taught a particular way to do things. The great thing about our industry is that it embraces all of those and you can be successful whatever your level of education. More importantly, you need to have the right desire, the work ethic and the want to learn. It is such an amazing industry that enables you to learn your trade and develop as you work. 

Which leader / figure inspired you and why? 

This is a difficult one. I have worked with and been inspired by so many over the years. But not all have worked in the hospitality industry. They have all had traits in common though.

• The desire to be different and creative
• An ethos of how they work and treat people
• The constant desire to evolve 
• And lastly, their everlasting search for perfection

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

There are so many reasons. First and foremost, I love food and service. I love being able to make difference, I am passionate about CSR and being able to make decisions that help and affect others’ lives. I have always believed in tech and its abilities to help us. I like meeting and being around people and helping them better themselves. I love learning and the excitement of finding something new and different, whether that be an ingredient, piece of equipment or way to work. But the one thing that drives me more than anything is putting a smile on someone’s face or giving them an experience, they will remember. All of this is why I love working in this industry, because I do not know of any other that gives all of these, all at once. 

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

For me, the most important thing with training, is honesty. Individuals need to know where their current capabilities are. I would always say to someone that is starting out, they must be honest with themselves. It is very easy to say “ I am great at everything” but those that acknowledge where they can and need to develop are always the ones that get ahead and develop far quicker. Secondly, training is not a one size fits all – training needs to be adapted and moulded to the individual to give them a greater chance of being successful. It is also important for team members to know where they stand with their skill level so they do not find themselves applying for roles they are not ready for. Our training is based on achieving all of the above. A complete flexible approach that has a core of the fundamental training needs, with additional options that are tailored to the individual to enhance their skill set. 

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

This was actually a piece of advice that was handed to me from a great chef I worked with, a little way into my career. It really helped me to navigate the correct path. 

It was “If you ever find yourself working for someone that requests or allows you to work beneath your own standards, you are working for the wrong person. Only ever work for someone that drives you to want to lift your standards”.

It sounds so simple, and it took me a while to understand the deeper meaning, but without it, I do not think I would have been anywhere near as happy as I have been in my career. We all need to be challenged in some way, otherwise we never feel the happiness of satisfaction.

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