Le Gavroche to change to five-day week to improve staff hours
Two-Michelin-starred London restaurant Le Gavroche is to change to a five-day week from its usual six-day operation, to improve staff work-life balance, and help the site offer new pop-ups.
The Mayfair site, owned by Michel Roux Jr (pictured), will close on Mondays to the public while still being open for private dining and corporate hire. Meanwhile, Roux Jr and his daughter Emily, who is also a chef, are set to launch a new series of Monday pop-ups, beginning with The Next Generation event on 1 February.
The event has been described as intimate, and is set to serve dishes from previous Roux scholars, plus wine pairings and workshops from Le Gavroche head sommelier David Galetti.
Roux Jr said: "We're very excited about the new opportunities this will bring to the restaurant. For many years, we've been trading six days a week, and whilst the traditional Le Gavroche experience will still be available for five of those days, having the restaurant closed on a Monday to the general public means that new Le Gavroche experiences can be offered in within the restaurant."
The restaurant is not the only high-profile establishment to make a significant change in hours to improve staff working conditions; the Nottingham-based Restaurant Sat Bains, run by chef Sat and his wife Amanda, recently changed to a four-day week, giving his staff 48 more leisure days a year, for the same pay as before.
Although Bains admitted the move could see him lose £100,000, he said that the long-term benefits in staff morale would outweigh the risk.
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