This is Hospitality: Jill Stein – ‘This industry is my life’

For more than 50 years, Jill Stein, founder and co-owner of the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, has lived and breathed hospitality. 

“Hospitality is my life,” says the businesswoman and hospitality operator.

Stein recalls falling in love with the industry aged just 19, during her first shift at Manchester’s Union Bar. “My first order was 24 pints of Newcastle Brown,” she says. “I’ll never forget that – I knew it was my calling!”

Stein is a passionate advocate for the sector’s meritocratic nature and rejects the idea of hospitality as a stopgap career. 

She says: “Hospitality is always looked on as a bit of a job between careers, but I don’t look at it like that. I think there is growth in hospitality – and you can start on the floor or on the bar and work yourself up to running the business in the end.”

She also champions the camaraderie of the industry. “Everyone works as a team and when you’ve got that team buzz, there is nothing like it. You work on your adrenaline and adrenaline is a great drug, actually.”

Stein first opened the Seafood Restaurant in 1975 with her former husband Rick Stein, and the restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

She is a tireless ambassador for the industry and was awarded an OBE in 2013. She also received the Special Award at the 2016 Cateys for her advocacy of the sector and for helping to build one of the UK’s most influential hospitality brands.

What is This Is Hospitality?

Three easy ways to get involved

Get behind our This is Hospitality campaign and you could help change the perception of your industry. 

Follow us on our dedicated page www.thecaterer.com/thisishospitality and on Instagram @thecaterermag for news and updates.

Send in your short videos or share them on social media, explaining why you love working in hospitality, and support the campaign using the hashtag #thisishospitality

Email us. If you have suggestions for our campaign or want to share a positive story about our industry, get in touch at thisishospitality@thecaterer.com

This Is Hospitality