Richard Shepherd

Name: Richard Shepherd<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

Date of birth: 30/04/45

Job title: Managing director of Langan's Brasserie, Odin's, Odin's Bistro, Shepherd's and Coq d'Or.

Location: London

First job in hospitality: Between 1960 and 1963, Shepherd served an apprenticeship at the Mount Pleasant Hotel in Great Malvern, Worcestershire.

Route from there to current job: He moved from Great Malvern to the Savoy hotel as commis chef in 1963. In 1967 Shepherd left the Savoy, and England, for France and La Reserve in Beaulieu to become chef de partie.

In 1977 he joined Langan's Brasserie in Mayfair as chef de cuisine in partnership with Peter Langan and actor Michael Caine.

Main responsibilities: Shepherd stopped cooking 10 years ago and now co-ordinates and manages all five restaurants.

What do you enjoy most about your job? "I most enjoy the people - and still being here."

What do you dislike most about it? "The thing I most dislike is rudeness. I think the standards, manners and behaviour of customers are dropping. I also think that there are now too many entrepreneurs rather than restaurateurs in the industry."

What attributes do you need to do your job? "Stamina and enthusiasm. If you take up a job in this industry purely as a job, it'll do you in. Even if you're ambitious but treat it just as a job, you'll never get anywhere. It has to be your life."

What's your next move? "In the current climate, my priority is to make sure that all my restaurants stay in business by working hard at them."

What's your ultimate career goal? "Well, I've just celebrated the 25th anniversary of Langan's Brasserie so I think I've achieved it. We've served around 3.75 million meals at the restaurant since it opened in 1976.

"If you'd asked me what my ultimate goal was when I was 20 years old, it would have been to be head chef at the Savoy or the Dorchester. I turned down working at Claridge's and the Savoy Grill at age 26, however. I realised that internal politics took up more time than looking after the customer. That's when I knew that what I really wanted to do was work with Peter Langan and the Brasserie."