Thursday 12 January 2017




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.
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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.

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