How achievable is it to have a chef-driven restaurant in a chain hotel?
Francisco Llanos: We have Alvaro our chef from Spain and he’s here every day. He cooks paella and talks to the customers so they see his face and they identify with him; he is Salero and this is what we were looking for. So having a chef driven restaurant is achievable yes – it’s dangerous also. What happens if Alvaro leaves?
Ben Orpwood: It’s my brand as well as the owner’s, so I don’t have to worry about anyone else’s input. I keep the GM and HR people well out of the kitchen so I think that’s why it runs so smoothly. I’m lucky because I don’t have to go to anyone for approval.
Colin Clague: I do what I want. I have people I respect that try out my creations though so we bounce them around a bit. The thing with Qbara is we want to develop unlike any other. Everything else has come to Dubai; Qbara is a brand that is made in Dubai that we want to take overseas, so they hired very senior people in the early days. There are some great talented guys that I work with.
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Jeffrey Whitfield: I have total freedom to do what I want because no one knows about it. Educating people about Cajun food is fun. If you don’t know what it is and you come in and try it you think “wow what was that?” Before I got here the old chef had developed a menu and just because he had slapped some creole mustard on the plate he called it a Cajun dish.
Ryan Waddell: I have some control over what I do, although there’s a bit of authorisation. They have a look but rarely are there tweaks. I understand the brand concept and I’ve worked with the guys that are in charge of the brand. We want to take it and grow it here in the UAE and the Middle East in general.
Edi Pancamala: They give you the concept and say, “right, create the menu based on this” — but if you don’t have the right equipment you can’t get the maximum flavour out of the dishes. The hotel industry is focused on front of house; they forget to involve the chef in creating the kitchen. I designed the menu but because I’m part of a big hotel, the GM has to approve it.
Genny Lorenzo: We do have a guideline of what we have to follow but we all have our own liberty.
Darren Velvick: I think I’m quite lucky with the Hilton because I am almost stand-alone. It’s my name above the door and I’ve got free rein to put what I want on the menu. I do have to follow procedure and get things signed off, but they’re very supportive of me.
Table 9 has a really big following so when handing it over to me they were probably quite nervous as they didn’t know me apart from when I came over for a cook-off and interview, which was probably the biggest of my life because there are so many people involved in Table 9. They left me free to do the concept I wanted.
I’ve had to do tastings for the top guys at the Hilton and they’ve given their input. Some I’ve agreed with, some I haven’t and they’ve told me that if I feel strongly about it that’s fine. I don’t know what’s next; if you get the concept right, why not roll it out in other Hiltons?
Colin: I think you’ll see more hotels bringing in stand-alone restaurants.
Darren: I don’t think hotels want the hassle of it. They’re not restaurateurs — they’re hoteliers.
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