Hawksmoor boss: overcoming challenges shows 'elite performance'

Will Beckett, co-founder and chief executive of Hawksmoor, has urged the industry to continue fighting for its "entrepreneurial spirit and optimism" despite the challenges ahead.

Last week, Beckett told guests attending an Arena event at the Rosewood London: "At Hawksmoor, we've started saying if we want to be really great at something, you've got to embrace the idea it's going to be hard."

He said he did not believe things would get any easier for the industry in the immediate term, but encouraged operators to consider every challenge they overcome as a sign of "elite performance".

"That entrepreneurial spirit and optimism is right at the heart of almost all hospitality businesses. There are still a lot of players in the industry," he added.

It comes after hospitality operators expressed their disappointment following the Spring Budget earlier this month, which left business owners feeling "neglected" by the government.

Fellow panellist Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said that although the industry had been hindered by a wet March, with cost inflation and energy still remaining a "big issue", there was "huge confidence in the sector to keep investing".

"Loungers opened three new venues this week alone. We need to keep working to keep that level of confidence up," she said.

In a separate panel, chef Tom Aikens warned the next 10 years would not be easy for independent businesses, but said there were people in the industry, like himself, who "still get out of bed with a smile, looking forward to going to work".

He said: "Now that I'm a grandfather of the industry, I can give a lot back to the young ones, even if they include horror stories of how it used to be.

"I still believe it's a great time to come to the industry. It gives the young a career, whether that's as a chef in a Michelin restaurant, a hotel or fast-food joint, or just even in food photography. They can lean into 20,000 different directions."

The event, which was held in support of industry charity Only A Pavement Away, also featured a raffle that raised an additional £2,400.

Only A Pavement Away was established by hospitality industry consultant Greg and Gill Mangham in 2018 to guide people facing homelessness into a career in hospitality.

To date, the charity has placed 450 people into work and spent over £40,000 in grants.