Restaurateurs Anthony Demetre and Will Smith set up consultancy service
Award-winning restaurateurs Anthony Demetre and Will Smith have set up a consultancy service for the restaurant industry.
The London-based operators, owners of Michelin-starred properties Arbutus and Wild Honey, and French brasserie Les Deux Salons, are offering professional advice, support and guidance for forthcoming and existing restaurants under the company ADWS Consulting.
The pair, who first met at Putney Bridge restaurant in London 15 years ago, will help people who are looking to launch a restaurant from scratch through to providing advice to established businesses.
Speaking exclusively to Caterer and Hotelkeeper, the 2008 Independent Restaurateurs of the Year Catey recipients said that Demetre's experience of running respected kitchens and Smith's reputation for front of house and wine service puts them in a relatively unique position to analyse a hospitality business from both sides of the pass.
"Anthony and I feel we have something to offer the industry," Smith told Caterer and Hotelkeeper
"Soho is a classic example," added Smith. "It was kind of dead and buried when we moved in seven years ago. People said to us at the time 'Soho's dead', it was post Alastair Little, post Antony Worrall Thompson, post Bistrot Bruno, there was nobody in Soho, but now it's been resurrected in a way."
Demetre said: "You've got to understand your market. We're seasoned operators. We've learnt and matured as restaurateurs. I find a lot of owner operators employ young cooks, and sometimes it comes across as being all about the cook and not about the business."
"Where Anthony and I come from," added Smith, "is a slightly unique package. We have both sides of the business covered."
The launch of ADWS Consulting comes just four months after a refurbishment of their Mayfair restaurant Wild Honey. The pair spent £150,000 on the 55-seat restaurant remodelling the room, repositioning the bar and removing the banquette booths and room divisions. The recent changes to the site have resulted in an increase of business of 20%.
ADWS will offer advice in finding the right site, creating and designing menus and wine lists, staff recruitment, training, healthy and safety, hygiene, and PR and marketing.
Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Anthony Demetre and Will Smith, Arbutus, Wild Honey, Les Deux Salons >>
By Amanda Afiya
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