Words from the Wise – Jesus Adorno

Jesus Adorno, director, Le Caprice, shares his business secrets

Excellent service is the holy grail I've been in this industry for nearly 40 years and have witnessed all sorts of fashions, fads and food styles, but the one constant is service. Good service is one thing, but resting on your laurels is not an option. Customers know, more than ever, what they want and are much less afraid to ask than they were 40 years ago. They are more knowledgeable about food, drink and service, and, like our European neighbours, are happy to insist that things are precisely the way they want them to be.

The customer is king Even when the customer is being awkward or is wrong - which happens more than you would imagine - there is always an elegant way to remedy the situation and the onus is on the restaurant management to do this with grace.

Attention to detail is paramount It's essential in creating and maintaining a consistency of quality and service expected by our customers. I learned from the masters - Chris Corbin and Jeremy King (former owners of Le Caprice). They taught me to strive for perfection. Their standards and methods became my benchmark.

Communication is the most useful tool you have I invest a lot of time and energy with the customers, because their feedback enables us to create the environment they enjoy. By the same token, spending as much time as possible talking to the staff - both front and back of house - creates a sense of engagement and belonging among them which is invaluable. I do a daily briefing, creating an open and friendly forum where staff feel at liberty to ask questions and add to their knowledge.

A harmonious team spirit ensures great service If there are ever any problems with the staff, we take the time to sort them out so that they can slot back into the well-oiled machine. We aim to inspire our staff through training and communication and allow them to develop throughout their time with us. When they leave, they have an armoury of knowledge and skills which equip them for most situations.

Good decision, bad decision

Good My best decision was to put a doorman outside Le Caprice. The "Le Caprice experience" starts with the maître d' on the phone, but a smile and a few words from the doorman when you arrive at the restaurant makes you feel a million dollars - it tops and tails each guest's visit.

Bad About 20 years ago, I made the mistake of telling a customer, who arrived at the restaurant, that we didn't have a table for him. He was furious and I later discovered that the booking had been made and, for some reason, had been recorded in the wrong place.

I have never and will never make that mistake again unless I'm 200% sure of what I'm saying and, even then, I try to avoid it.

CV HIGHLIGHTS

1972 Worked at Downside School in Somerset
1973 Joined Mill Stream restaurant in Amersham as commis waiter - promoted to waiter within weeks
1976-1980 Moved to London, working at: Frederick's of Camden Passage; then L'Opera au Jardin des Gourmets, owned by Joseph Berkmann; and Inigo Jones, Covent Garden, where he was mentored by maître d' Colin Livingstone
1981 Joined Le Caprice for its opening day
1995 Became board member of Caprice Holdings - since responsible for ensuring consistency at Le Caprice, relaunching standards of Daphne's in Chelsea and training at Daphne's Barbados