Maintaining High Standards
22nd November 2007
Tim Hart, Owner, Hart’s Hotel and Restaurant
Sangita Tryner, Director, Delilah Fine Foods Ltd
- In a competitive market a key point of difference is quality. Don’t compromise or cut corners
- One of the great benefits of being a small business is the ability to move swiftly and make decisions without reference to a board or committee
- Banks always want copious amounts of market research and will only back something that is proven - when you are starting out, often all you have is your own self belief – "I just knew I could make it work"
- Once you become established people will throw money at you and it is tempting to overreach and try to expand too quickly
- Best advice – "go with your gut (feeling)"
- The hardest part of the job is finding people with a shared interest and passion for food
- Sangita spoke of the frustrations of working for a food company where quality became secondary to cost-cutting considerations
- All top restaurants are privately owned – not part of chains which can’t deliver the same personal service and levels of innovation and quality
- Times of recession create an "anti-luxury mood" with people saving their money. However there can be benefits - often good people are on the market who can be recruited
- You can provide technical training but the attitude and commitment has to be there
- Harts acts as its own cook school. The Chefs learn in a non academic practical work experience environment
- Tim compared his role to that of a publisher dependent on the creative talents of his writers. However Chefs rarely meet their audiences. Tim’s job is to provide positive feedback and make the staff feel appreciated
- It is important to share the credit with your staff. They must feel it is their business too. It is important to delegate. However as the owner you must create a culture that delivers quality. You must not allow the concept, ethos and values of the business to become compromised
- Sangita spoke about the time taken (8 months) and difficulties in securing the right premises
- The best employees are ambitious – "Either I grow the business or they will leave. I have to grow with them. To maintain standards in Harts restaurant you need a ferocious level of concentration"
- Delilah has found specialist niche food products that weren’t previously available in Nottingham. "I felt there were so many foods I needed to try and bring to other people’s attention"