then you realise air conditioning's like fifteen grand," he laughed.
Accept that you will get stressed - and you will p*** people off
Especially at the design stage, the chef explained, the pressure hit high levels. "It was a f***ing nightmare."
"The stress of going in in the morning and thinking: 'well why aren't I here or why haven't they done this - you find yourself starting to do too much, just kind of running about chasing people and upsetting people."
Know that you can find help in unexpected places
When it came to putting together a business plan, Tommy, who admits to not being very organised, sought help from fellow chefs - namely, Ollie Dabbous and Tom Brown - who had opened restaurants themselves.
"The thing is," he said, " it's an amazing industry to be in and there are so many people out there that have done it and experienced it and are more than happy to talk you through it and help you."
Despite all the hardships, you won't regret it
By no means was opening Heaney's easy, the chef said.
"But I wouldn't change it for anything. As much as I considered investment, and as hard as it was at the time, I'm glad I've done it. At the end of the day if I want to go out and spend 4 grand on a piece of equipment, that's a decision I'm able to make."
"Like I said, the sleepless nights aren't great but it's worth it."
"I think it was about six months down the line before I walked in the restaurant one day and thought: "we're doing alright."
