Caterer and Hotelkeeper – 11811
Restaurant red tape is on the rise, warns conran
The restaurant industry is in danger of being stifled by bureaucracy, Terence Conran warned this week.
Conran told the 1998 Chef Conference, at London's May Fair Inter-Continental Hotel, that the industry had become enormously energetic and entrepreneurial, but was now also "deeply bureaucratic".
Among the problems that face restaurants, Conran highlighted health and safety, VAT returns, no-shows and dealing with staff.
"It is a romantic idea to think of an amateur chef and his wife running front of house, but it's a serious business and there is a great deal of stress," he said.
He went on to tell the Lavazza-sponsored conference that staff motivation was a key factor in running a business.