December 2007 Archives

International super star Gordon Ramsay has been in the press so much lately, it’s easy to get confused about all that he’s up to.

He’s been all over the news after appointing female head chef Clare Smyth at Royal Hospital Road and has now revealed he even plans to install an entirely female brigade at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant. And on top of that the busy chef recently crowned the new Gordon Ramsay Scholar: Jamie Raftery from Gidleigh Park Hotel in Devon.

All of this information seems a bit too much to take in for some as one magazine appears to have got the two stories seriously muddled up headlining: Woman Wins Gordon Ramsay Scholarship

Do they know something we don’t? The last time we checked, Jamie was still a man.

It is heartening to see, particularly during this season of goodwill, that the art of writing a letter is not lost in the world of hospitality. What a shame it is though that these letter writing skills have been used to trade insults and allegations between two hotel giants.

It all started with Orient Express boss Paul White, who labelled the approach for a joint venture with India's Taj Hotels as "inconsistent with our business strategy" and that they had "no interest in their proposals".

White looked to draw a line underneath the four month old saga by stating, in no uncertain terms, that he believed that "any association of our luxury brands and properties with your brands and properties would result in a reduction in the value of our brands and of our business and would likely lead to erosion in the RevPar premiums currently achieved by our properties".

Fair enough you might think. White has rebuffed this year's long standing rumour that the chain has been up for sale for £1.5b. However it is a little harsh on Taj, who with an 11.5%, are Orient Express' largest shareholder and also run hotels that are not re-branded as Taj Hotels, like 51 Buckingham Gate and the Crowne Plaza St James in Westminster.

It has all been enough to make Taj Hotels vice-chairman R K Krishna Kumar loose his temper somewhat which, of course, he has done by way of a letter. Kitchen Rat hopes you enjoy the extract below.

The eighties. A decade of excess, of Thatcher and the sort of conspicuous consumption only Russian oligarchs and US R&B stars truly go in for these days.

One managing director of a small but perfectly formed catering company was recently reminiscing about those halcyon days that taste forgot.

At the time he was overseeing the catering and hospitality at Barings, the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 thanks to Nick Leeson.

He had a good relationship with the client at the bank and always made sure he did the very best he could to deliver top service, holding regular meetings with him to discuss how the hospitality operation was running.

Ahead of one such briefing the caterer took it on himself to examine how the contract was running.

After a thorough investigation he identified several areas where a number of cost savings could be made through simple efficiencies, thinking the bank’s masters would be delighted.

A waiter’s life can be tough.

If your boss isn’t making your wages up with tips you’re bombarded by drunken numpties on their annual escape from the office for their Christmas do.

Still, some guests are a handful of a different sort.

Kitchen Rat has heard of one gentleman who is currently terrorising the male waiting staff of London.

Although apparently usually content simply to flirt outrageously with any waiter that catches his eye, a recent dinner engagement saw him go one step beyond.

Someway into the meal his fellow dinners realised, with understandable shock, that their guest had his hand between a young waiter’s legs and was “providing support” of an unusual sort for the chap while he poured the wine.

Amazed that the waiter hadn’t so much as flinched and didn’t seem outwardly upset, one diner asked how he could keep such a stiff upper lip while being handled so.

“I’m thinking of the massive tip, sir,” replied the waiter philosophically.

“Me, too,” replied his assailant gleefully, not missing a beat.

Waiting staff lowest paid in UK>>

The annual Christmas party can be a tedious affair especially when you’re holding it for clients.

Determined to make their client event memorable, one London caterer put on their creative elf hats recently and decided an evening of burlesque would fit the bill.

With the theme set the managing and business development directors found a suitable venue, which promised no less than the Welsh Dita Von Tesse (or Samantha as she turned out to be known) in a pantomime based on Cinderella.

It is at this point it’s worth recommending that if you are taking out a group of VIPs that are essentially paying your wages it is wise to check out the performance beforehand.

If you’re pitching for an ad. agency in central London, full no doubt of spiky-haired types in sharp suits, you’d better make sure your sell is up to scratch.

Although it’s true everyone has to eat, the likes of JWT, now part of WPP the largest agency of its type in the world and home to clients including Vodafone, Ford and HSBC, are always on the lookout for that extra certain something.

Boutique caterer Harbour & Jones obviously has just that ingredient having nicked the £1m annual deal off Compass Group’s “dinner lady” attired team from fine dining arm Restaurant Associates, Kitchen Rat hears.

Kitchen Rat has learnt about exciting changes planned at London's 19th century luxury Berners hotel.

Owned by JJW Luxury Collection, which took over the Eton Collection in August of this year, it's too early to reveal the full details other than to say the scope of the work going on there is dramatic.

The expression "what's in a name?" springs to mind, also.

However, while the full extent of the hotel's makeover will have to remain a secret for now one thing is for sure if a recent lunch with Eton Collection's managing director Peter Tyrie, who is overseeing the project, is anything to go by:

The transformation won't involve incorporating an Italian restaurant.

Why?

Is the completely legal use of non-cash tips to top up workers’ National Minimum Wage (NMW) via the tronc simply good business sense?

A practice that allows employers to reward hardworking restaurant staff by making sure they have a little extra in their pockets if they do their jobs well?

Or, as many believe, is it a dishonest and ethically questionable ploy that rips off a loyal workforce to help line owners’ and shareholders’ pockets at a time when the industry is struggling to get good staff?