The Caterer and Hotekeeper Interview – Fred Sirieix

Fred Sirieix, general manager at Galvin at Windows, has long been a vociferous champion of the hospitality industry and the front of house in particular. He spoke to Janie Manzoori-Stamford about National Waiters Day on 23 June - his latest initiative to raise awareness of the importance of the art of service

How did you come up with the idea of National Waiters Day?
It's always been in my head, in a way. I remember when I was 16 I used to talk to my friends in catering college about the importance of service, because the student chefs and front of house students were always arguing about who was the most important. So it's kind of been brewing inside me.

Since we did the Art of Service television programme, there has been more interest in service, so I wrote a blog post suggesting we do something like National Waiters Day. From that, I had around 200 retweets and lots of people told me that it was a good idea, so I realised I was on to something. I made a few phonecalls and met with Anne [Pierce, chief executive] from Springboard to discuss what we needed, and we worked together to achieve it.

We needed sponsorship, so I spoke to people I knew and, within two weeks, we had £30,000, as well as a promise to do National Waiters Day for the next two or three years. Simon Esner from BaxterStorey introduced me to a company that helped us with our branding. We asked our friends in the industry for help, and it all came down to them believing in us. The hardest thing to do is spread the message and reach out to people.

Why is it so important, especially now?

There are around 50,000 vacancies in 
hospitality every year, but the country's 
290 colleges can't produce enough skilled people to fill those vacancies. The one million unemployed young people don't know that they could have a great career in hospitality.

If you are motivated, you can go all the way to the top, because there are so many new places opening. If you're fed up with London, you can go to Dubai or the USA or Shanghai. Parents don't know they can suggest this career path to their kids, and in schools they don't advise people to do this because they don't know about it. We need to change the 
perception of our industry and the message needs to be constant.

What activities will supporters get involved
with on 23 June? On the day there will be a Waiters Race, which will be twice around Brunswick Square - about 1km. The waiters will carry a tray with a glass and a bottle, and the one that gets around the fastest with everything intact will win. Lots of other things will be going on that day, too - there will be a real family atmosphere.

Then, during the week [23 June to 28 June] there will be several other activities where 
anyone in hospitality can take part, wherever they are. The Ritz is going to do a carving 
masterclass and here at Galvin at Windows we are running a service with a celebrity and another with our regulars. We're also giving a couple of talks so people can hear what we are doing and what opportunities there are in the industry. Café Spice Namaste is running a 'recognise your waiter' initiative, where diners grade their waiters and the best one will win a meal in a sister restaurant. Renshaw College in Liverpool has organised its own race, too. People can do whatever they want to take part - they just need to register their event on www.nationalwaitersday.com. It's free and simple.

Is there a fundraising element? Yes, and all the money will go to Springboard. We want to create a legacy that sees the word spread further, where people go into schools to teach kids about the opportunities.

You've been working very hard in recent years to raise the profile of the front of house sector. Have you noticed a change in attitude? The customers notice it more. We have 
customers who come in and say they saw me on the Art of Service, and that now, when they are in the restaurant, they notice and appreciate the service and our efforts to teach young people a lot more. That's the consistent feedback we get, and it comes down to how it made our customers feel about the industry. But we still want to recruit people. When I started out 20 years ago, there were fewer restaurants in London. Now, there are hundreds and everyone is competing for staff.

If you look at any restaurant, you can count the number of British people working there on one hand. It has changed slightly, but we have a long way to go. At least there is an understanding now, and we have made a start. It's the very first step.

Presumably it would be ideal to start the sea change in attitude as early as possible. How can the industry show school leavers 
that a hospitality career - specifically one 
in front of house - is incredibly rewarding? It is the responsibility of the industry as a whole. There are lots of things happening, but no real sense of ownership or recognition about what one can do and that one can change the world. We are all here waiting for something to happen, complaining that the sector isn't valued and that we don't have enough British people working in it - but what are we all doing about it?

We now have an outlet through National Waiters Day, so let's all get behind it and promote the industry. Let's use all our contacts. In seven steps you can get to anybody - you can get to Barack Obama in seven steps. I'm 
40 now and I don't think I will see a proper change for another 10 to 20 years. I remember when I was 16 at catering college being taught how to do the job and people were giving me something - an education. I may still feel like a kid, but I'm 40 and there are real kids looking for a career, so it's up to me to do something for them. If we don't do something, we only have ourselves to blame.

How is the Restaurant Project schools initiative going? We haven't been able to do any more things with that because I need the support of another organisation. I can spearhead it, but my time is limited. To do just one Restaurant Project took a lot of time to organise because it involved teaching the kids about running a whole business - costs, food, allergies, menu construction, marketing, people management - not just about how to be a waiter. 
It wasn't just about teaching the kids, but also teaching the teachers. It is a lot of work, but that makes it more rewarding.

It's been two years since the TV show aired 
on the BBC. How have the participants fared since and where are the winners now? James Marvin is now a manager with 
BaxterStorey after working at Galvin at Windows. Ashley is selling advertising for Sky TV, Brooke is working in a restaurant in Australia and Nikita went back to school. The last time I heard from her she was working in a 
restaurant as well. We gave them the 
opportunity, and it was up to them to do whatever they could with it.

What are the prerequisites to be good at front of house? Can the art of service be taught? It can be taught, but I think there needs to be fundamental values, such as the values that were taught to me by my parents. I remember asking my father when I was five why he always shaved before going to work. He was a nurse, and he said he needed to do it to inspire trust and 
confidence and show that he was professional.

Service and hospitality is about the connection and the bond you create with people. It's a way of life. I could go to a restaurant and I'm not offered a drink - what plonkers! First of all you're running a business, and second it's basic hospitality. You've got to have something and that something can be developed.

Do you think the Government recognises the economic and social contribution of the hospitality industry? No it doesn't. Action is eloquence at the end of the day. There have been cuts in education for front of house, and if that happens, it means that there really isn't any respect or value for hospitality. If hospitality is cut, then maybe you can't afford to have a restaurant, which means you can't afford to cook so much, or to subsidise the cost of the food being sold. So actually it jeopardises the whole industry. These cuts prove that the Government doesn't see hospitality as a contributor.

Maybe we are not forceful enough in delivering that message. There is a way to do it, but I just don't know exactly what that is yet. With the number of young people who are unemployed, the number of vacancies that we have in our industry and its economic output, you would think that someone half-clever in 
Government would have worked it out by themselves, but they don't seem able to.

Five steps to top service

• Ensure your appearance and personal grooming is immaculate
• Smile and use eye contact
• Understand the vision of the venue; what you're delivering and how you're delivering it
• Practise role-playing customer service
• Enjoy it