August 2017

Are you in a job that you are no longer enjoying, that really is not for you?

Are you looking for the next step in your career?

My career in hospitality spans over 25 years.  I have managed hospitality in some of the finest two and three Michelin star restaurants in France, Switzerland and London; the most prestigious 5 star hotels in Zurich and Lausanne and in the most exclusive private members clubs in London.

I do have the experience to help you with any questions you may have 
john@johnpdavey.co.uk

The Gold Service Scholarship

The premier award to find the UK’s finest Front of House talent.

Details on the 2018 application will re-open in September 2017.

Please see our Journal, Press and Winners pages for up to date information about the 2017 Scholarship and read about this year’s Scholar – Stephanie Beresforde.
http://thegoldservicescholarship.com/#/journal

Stephanie announced the 2017 Winner

If you are aged between 20 and 26 years, you may apply for the Annual Awards of Excellence as a forerunner to the Gold Service Scholarship from January 2017. If you are interested, please read the following link for details.

Our previous winners

To see more about the Scholarship click the link below

http://thegoldservicescholarship.com/#/

The Test Kitchen: 

A London debut for chef, Adam Simmonds, on April 27th, my good friend Adam Simmonds bound into the capital’s dining scene with his debut London opening, The Test Kitchen on Frith Street in Soho, W1.

Adam has worked at and run many Michelin-starred restaurants in his career, but the one thing that he  missed   was face-to-face interaction with the guest. He wanted to change that, which is why Adam opened The Test Kitchen: a place where the chefs serve the food and they constantly change dishes depending on the feedback we get.

Adam wants you to be part of the development process – something that’s usually hidden away behind closed doors – and make your mark on the menu. 

https://www.thetestkitchen.uk/

Visiting York - The Rattle Owl

The Rattle Owl is an independent 42 seat casual dining restaurant housed in a restored listed building, based on one of York’s most interesting and beautiful streets.

It has taken two years to renovate the 17th century building. In the course of the renovations they found the remains of a Roman building in the basement. Who knew? Let’s just say we now have one of York’s most interesting wine cellars.

A seasonal menu that draws from Yorkshire’s produce, while the daytime and evening menu differ in price and content, they are closely related and underpinned by quality and value, using the best local produce and crucially ensuring most of it is use…

So, the Rattle Owl is being ‘sensibly sustainable’

http://rattleowl.co.uk/aboutus.html

CLARE SMYTH CHOOSES CLEANER PRODUCTS

As a trusted partner of Cleaner Products I am delighted and feel honoured that we have been selected as the supply partner to the new restaurant Core by Clare Smyth MBE.
The restaurant will be a modern fine-dining restaurant with a strong British ethos with an elegant relaxed interior.

Our philosophy is simple
If we can reduce your spending and improve the sustainability of your business we can achieve our aim and be your supply partner for years to come.
First, as we are a manufacturer, you can buy from the source without paying the margins of middlemen. So you should be saving on the cost of your chemicals.
Second, we look closely at your operation and find ways to improve dispensing options to optimise usage. We also plan new cleaning methods and identify any other ways you can avoid wastage and minimise consumption.
Third, staff training and best practices in cleaning can play a big part in reducing your costs. We will share our experience and insights to help you.
Fourth, we design a system of supply to fit the requirements of your business exactly. It’s tailored, not a take-it-or-leave service.
Finally, you get to deal with the directors of our family-run business. We have a vested interested in making our supplier partnership work for you.

https://www.cleanerproducts.co.uk/

April 2017

Claude Bosi at Bibendum

Very happy to re-open Bibendum with Claude Bosi and his super team, 30 years after being the opening Restaurant Manager in 1987.

Set in the original Michelin HQ building, has nurtured many chefs including Simon Hopkinson, Jeremy Lee and Phil Howard and now it’s the turn of French chef, Claude Bosi to put his stamp on it at the end of this month.

http://bibendum.co.uk/

Casse Croute
A shot of warm, villagey France in Bermondsey with a sensibly priced menu of boldly chosen, smartly executed French classics.
Best of all, the menu of boldly chosen, smartly executed French classics really deliver.

Owners Herve Durochat and Alexandre Bonnefoy took inspiration from legendary Paris restaurant Chez Paul. Visiting the former feels very much like stepping into a rural French kitchen and Casse-Croûte does a very admirable job of recreating this atmosphere.

http://cassecroute.co.uk/

The Good Old Days

My commis days at the Lausanne Palace

Westbury choose Cleaner Products

Cleaner products are delighted to have been awarded the supply contract for the iconic Westbury Hotel in London’s Mayfair.

The first Westbury was opened in 1927 in New York City by the polo playing Phipps family. Later in 1955 The Westbury London was opened, becoming the first 5 star American hotel in London and one of the finest hotels in Mayfair.

Give me a call or contact directly to find out more!

http://www.cleanerproducts.co.uk/

Dennys
Established in 1840, Dennys Brands has grown over the last 175 years. From a single shop in London’s Soho making and selling garments for the local restaurant and hotel trade, Dennys now supply the hospitality industry worldwide, with 15% of their business being exported to Europe and the Middle East and Australia.

If I can introduce you to my good friend Thierry just let me know!

http://www.dennys.co.uk/

I was lucky enough to have realised at an early stage that my life and my career was going to be about looking after people. I signed an invisible contract, if you will, starting as a commis de rang at the Hotel des Trois Couronnes in Vevey, Switzerland; and through the likes of Restaurant Fredy Giradet, Bibendum and Restaurant Guy Savoy  in Paris as the Restaurant Manager. Even now, some thirty to forty years on, it’s still at the very forefront of what I do.

Young Barman Trois Courrones v

John Davey is one of the world’s greatest front of house professionals having worked and trained in some of Europe’s best restaurants, private members’ clubs and luxury hotels as well as working in restaurants as far afield as Los Angeles.

His casual yet sophisticated manner has inspired countless hospitality professionals over the years and now his tailored training days are available to both new and established businesses.

It doesn’t matter what nationality the staff are or what cuisine or offer your business does. Hospitality is a human trait and John has worked with brigades with multi-nationalities.

John has become an acknowledged leader and expert at training both large and small hospitality teams to work together to achieve better service, increased sales and greater customer retention and return

Training and recruitment go hand in hand and John can both find the best staff for you and once you have them in place train them and your team to achieve better results.

vey

My consultancy work for the likes of Tom Aikens and Heston Blumenthal, Brett Graham, Phil Howard – and my hospitality lectures, ‘Just John’ – are fuelled by an unquenchable passion for helping others and showing that Hospitality is indedd a great profession

This will never leave me.

With this as a solid foundation, my work in the hospitality industry has always been an extension of my personality, my love for people, and above all, absolute pride.

It’s a hard profession, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve worked so many hours over the years and sometimes under very difficult circumstances; but when I think about the people that I’ve met, and the different people that I worked with - in Switzerland for over ten years, for example – I realise that I made some of my strongest friendships during my career. The brigade at Fredy Girardet, for example - the brigade of 15 - there were 9 or 10 of us that worked the full ten years together. Imagine the teamwork that was involved there, the consistency, the passion, Louis Villenueve who was the Restaurant manager when I joined Girardet is still there – 40 years of service!

I had initially trained as a chef, down in Bristol, but after experiencing a summer at the Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich in the summer of 1971, I realised that my invisible contract was better suited to the dining room. It was enchanting, the people so full of grace; it was something I wanted to be involved in desperately, and I consider myself so lucky to have been a part of it, and even luckier that I can pass down my vast knowledge

It was always about the customers in the dining room, never about the people.

 I’ve served the King of Italy, Charlie Chaplin, Michel Platini, Richard Burton, Richard Nixon, and Freddy Mercury (who thanked me for, what he called, a culinary striptease); the list goes on and on. But, prince or pauper, they deserved the restaurant’s respect, as did the kitchen, with the invisible contract very clear on this point.

Offering good service is understanding your restaurant, understanding your clients, and working well with the kitchen. In the mornings when you go to work, if you’re front of house, pop in a simple, ‘Morning gents, how are you?’ They might not answer, but it doesn’t matter, you’ve done your bit, and you’re creating a better environment by embracing the kitchen. You can’t work without the kitchen, and neither can they without you. Greet your managers, let everyone know you’re there. Be the most popular guy in the restaurant, both with your clients and with the other members of the staff. It makes such a great difference and it should be the most natural thing in the world.

Just john

This is the fundamental point of my consultancy, ‘Just John’. Every point of contact is crucial; from the first impression to the last, the pot washer to his Lordship.

The art of hospitality is just as specific as it is all encompassing. The obvious may not seem so obvious; what are the best times to speak to customers and how to read their body language? What are the teamwork skills that build confidence and bring more success to the business? How can I diffuse difficult situations with ease and grace?

Having worked and trained in some of Europe’s best restaurants, private members’ clubs and luxury hotels as well as working in restaurants as far afield as Los Angeles.

My casual yet sophisticated manner has inspired countless hospitality professionals over the years and now my tailored training days are available to both new and established businesses.

It doesn’t matter what nationality the staff are or what cuisine or offer your business does. Hospitality is a human trait and I have worked with brigades with multi-nationalities.

I think I can say I became an acknowledged leader and expert at training both large and small hospitality teams to work together to achieve better service, increased sales and greater customer retention and return

Training and recruitment go hand in hand and I can help you with both and find the best staff for you and once you have them in place train them and your team to achieve better results.