I develop restaurant leaders and sort out systems where the pressure and expectations are highest.
Restaurant operator and accredited executive coach. On the ground with teams in the UAE and the UK, and coaching leaders wherever they are.
Free, online, no obligation.
Most restaurant problems are people problems. I fix the operation and develop the team, so it stays fixed after I leave.
Sound familiar?
- Sales are up, but margin isn’t. Food, wages and rent keep rising, and you can’t keep putting prices up.
- You hire, train and lose people on a loop. Every leaver costs you money, consistency and regulars.
- Your managers can run a shift, but not the business. So every decision still lands on you.
- Your head chef is brilliant at the pass and struggling to lead the kitchen.
- Standards hold when you’re in the building and slip when you’re not, or from one site to the next.
- You’re about to open, or grow, and the structure that got you here won’t carry the next site.
None of this is fixed by another training day. It’s fixed by stronger leaders in the kitchen and on the floor, and simple systems they actually use, built while the business keeps trading. That is the work I do.
How I help
Three ways in. Most work starts with one and grows into the others.
Leadership development
Coaching for general managers, executive chefs, operations directors and founders, from someone who has done the job. Practical work on pressure, priorities, consistency and making decisions without escalating them.
From £250 / AED 1,200 an hour
For groups whose managers and chefs can run a shift but not yet the business.
Openings
I have opened and helped shape new restaurants for Jeremy King, Heston Blumenthal and Daniel Boulud. From pre-opening through the first year: structure, recruitment, training, service design and an operating rhythm the team will still be using long after I’ve gone.
12-month engagements
For owners launching a new restaurant or entering a new market.
When it’s quietly going wrong
An honest look at the floor, the P&L and the people. What is really happening, what it is costing, and a strategy and plan your team can carry out.
From £8,500 / AED 42,000
For owners who know something is off but can’t see it from the inside.
How we’d work together
A free hour
We talk through what’s happening and what you need. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll say so.
Time in the business
On the floor, with the team and in the numbers, before I recommend anything.
A clear plan
What to change, in what order, who owns it, and what it should cost and return.
Done with your team
The work happens alongside your people, so it holds after I leave.
Over the years I have watched Stephen evolve from learner to teacher. I have been so impressed by his ability to convert all that he has learnt into an ability to be compassionate in nurturing and discovering the best in people whilst transforming them into more effective leaders at every level.Jeremy King OBE, Jeremy King Restaurants
As we all had to seek inspiration at some stage in our careers, I found mine in Stephen. Understand your co-workers but don’t let emotions take over your professional self; drive your team to the best results through rigorous mentoring; work on their communication skills; be fair and square; share your knowledge; follow up and never compromise. These are a few of the traits Stephen taught me. As a business owner or decision-maker, you want to be surrounded by the drive, analysis and leadership that Stephen has developed over the years. Your organisation will thoroughly benefit from it.Antoine Jaillet, COO, Gaia, Fundamental Hospitality
Stephen is able to connect on a multitude of levels with people from all disciplines, coupled with pinpoint precision in getting to the root of the problem. He combines both in bringing about transformational change, as well as personal growth for both the business and the individuals he works with.Zuleika Fennell, CEO, The Thinking Traveller
Stephen is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced operators in the hospitality industry. I’ve learnt so much from his mentorship, and he’s helped me grow my business by making me think and act in new, empowering ways.Riccardo de Pra, Owner and Chef Patron, Dolada
Stephen was a guiding light in my formative hospitality career and I would absolutely credit him with some of the successes I enjoy today. Detailed, focused and driven, he coached me in ways that drew out the best of me and allowed me to develop the potential he had seen. When he talks, you listen.Michael Johnston, General Manager, Jeremy King Restaurants
I was feeling disillusioned with my work and was ready to walk away from the hospitality industry. Stephen helped me recognise the deeper meaning in what I was doing and how that related to my core values.Juan Ramirez, Director of Operations, Sabor Restaurants
Who I’ve worked with
Restaurant groups, hotel brands, luxury houses and landlords, as an employee and as a consultant.
Start with a free hour.
An hour online to talk through what’s happening in your business, what you need, and whether I’m the right person to help. No obligation, and you’ll leave with at least one thing worth doing.
Book your free sessionFor:
- Restaurant owners and founders
- Investors and landlords with restaurants in the portfolio
- Managing directors, COOs and operations directors
- Heads of people and HR leads looking at leadership development
- Executive and head chefs stepping up to lead
- General managers exploring coaching for their team