Anna Sebastian on branching out by herself as an F&B consultant

11 March 2022 by
Anna Sebastian on branching out by herself as an F&B consultant

From nightclubs in Mayfair to running the Artesian bar and working for hard seltzer brand Served, Anna Sebastian has done it all. Now, she's branching out by herself as an F&B consultant

How did you get started in the hospitality industry?

I started working in nightclubs in the Mayfair area in 2010. I saw that the Savoy was reopening and decided apply for a job as a host. That was when I really started to understand what hospitality was. When I left the Savoy I was the Beaufort bar manager and I then joined the Artesian at the Langham London in 2017 to look after the beverage programme for the hotel. Then, in May 2021, I joined Served, which was something really different.

Why the move to consulting and what does the job actually entail?

I think I had learned everything I could have learned, so going back to being a bar manager wasn't right. I'm not saying I'd never go back, but it would have to be a really big beverage director role and, coming out of the pandemic, there just aren't roles like that – consultancy gives you flexibility.

I get asked a lot about industry positioning and branding or how to get into the ‘top 50' lists. This is the million-dollar question, but from experience I know the answer is to work on a mission statement and your service. I talk a lot about ‘invisible PR', which is what people are saying about you when you aren't there.

What do you see as the main factors bars needs help on?

I think mainly it's about creating a really good internal culture. For so long we've got away with last-minute rotas, for example, and I think we should go back to basics: the next generation has a very different outlook and the things deemed acceptable 10 or 12 years ago aren't now. It's about creating a safe place for people to work, taxis home – let's look internally; let's rebuild teams.

Can you tell me about your Celebrate Her project?

It started as one-off events, celebrating female bartenders from around the world, but the response to it kick-started the idea that it could be more than an event or a party.

It's based around growing a community and providing education, and we're in the process of registering as a charity so we can fundraise. We want to raise half a million pounds, with the majority going to women around the world to provide financial grants. Women apply for the grant, go through a screening process and we pay for a training course. Another aspect we want to work on is recruitment.

We've partnered with a US consultancy company to take it on tour, so we will take a guest bartender from, say, Paris to Miami and host a three-day event with a guest shift, a seminar and a panel and then a wellness or mindfulness activity – something that isn't drinking! We've started building a team of board members and we have a structure.

What kind of venues are you excited to start working with?

For me, it is important that I feel passionate about these venues. I gravitate more towards luxury brands, although that isn't to say I wouldn't work for a pub group. I'm currently working with Adam Handling's group – the growth of that company is amazing and it's such a unique team. I want the development of what I do to be organic.

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