HIRING FOR HEART - WHY WE NEED WEIRDOS, WARMTH AND THE WILLING

Published 25.07.2025

THE BEST PEOPLE IN HOSPITALITY AREN’T ALWAYS THE ONES WITH THE BEST CVs.

I’ve hired actors, accountants, and once, someone who was an police officer who posed for Playgirl's center-fold.

And honestly? I’d take all of them over a Michelin-trained robot with no banter.

They’re the ones who get people. The ones who walk into a room and instinctively know who needs a drink, who needs a joke, and who needs to be left the hell alone.

Now sure, experience helps. I’m not saying hire someone who thinks mise en place is a movement in Pilates. But build a team for warmth and excellence, not just competence — because when the printer dies and a hen party walks in, you’ll need more than just someone who knows how to carry three plates.

I'VE MADE PLENTY OF HIRES OVER THE YEARS OR MENTORED A LOT OF THEM. THE ONES THAT STILL MAKE ME PROUD?

I’ve hired a lot of people over the years. Mentored a few. But the ones who still make me proud? They’re usually the ones who started out in neutral — maybe coasting, maybe sparking — but definitely waiting for something (or someone) to light the fire.

There was a waiter who showed up every day, did the job well, kept his head down. Years later, he reminded me how I once pulled him aside and said, “You really gonna spend your whole life schlepping plates back and forth?” (Okay — I may have used slightly more colourful language.)

He laughed when he told me. Because since then, he’s become a leader. The kind who earns his team’s respect by showing up — not showing off. That’s the good stuff.

 Then there was a manager who once gave me a "bollocking". I was his boss. He told me — quite rightly — that I was being too soft on the door. He wasn’t rude about it. Just honest. He’s gone on to do brilliant things with his career, and I honestly hope someone’s chasing his heels the way he once chased mine.

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT, ISN’T IT? 

To push each other. To build people who are better than we were — and then get out of the way while they take the lead. 

We don’t build legacies by hoarding the spotlight. We build them by handing it over — and cheering like hell from the sidelines.

And the ones I’ve cheered for? They weren’t always the most polished. But they were curious and they made me laugh.

We need more of that. The people who bring their full selves to work — yes, even the weird bits.

Because no one ever left a restaurant saying, “That server was so technically proficient.”

But they will remember the one who made them feel at home.