On Monday 9 October, the TMRW Project’s initiative, The Switch, will kick off across the UK for a nationwide ideas exchange that sees Front Of House staff switch places of work for up to 1 week.
In its second year championing the theme of collaboration over competition, The Switch is the Front of House's answer to the chef's stage. By focusing on the people who act as conduits between the kitchen and the guest, The Switch gives waiters, managers, bartenders and sommeliers a chance to learn from their peers, experience different environments and be exposed to new ways of working.
Headed up by Emma Underwood, one third of the TMRW Project and general manager of Where The Light Gets In, a restaurant known for its creative and immersive service style, the initiative will pair restaurants of different environments together based on varying size, location, style, and atmosphere, who each host a ‘switch’ for 3-5 days. Throughout the week participants of The Switch will gain knowledge they can build on and take back to their own restaurants, developing new relationships across the industry that will last them throughout their careers, and learning the true art of collaboration.
In its first year The Switch harnessed support from some of the best restaurants in the UK and their Front Of House including Tredwells, Noble Rot, Pidgin, The Black Swan, Duck & Waffle, The Man Behind The Curtain, and Gaucho. Chantelle Nicholson, (Chef Patron, Tredwells, Ops Manager, Marcus Wareing Group) applauded the initiative: “The Switch provided a much needed opportunity for the sharing of skills, values, inspiration and education. Chefs get the great opportunities to learn from stages, so naturally, it makes perfect sense to utilise this same format and it needs to happen more often.”
The thinking behind this initiative is simple. Every year the UK restaurant scene surpasses all of our expectations with a multitude of incredible talents that contribute to our title of being one of the most interesting countries in the world for culinary growth. In one year alone, the UK saw 179 new restaurants open*, proving big business for the hospitality industry. But with 56 restaurants closing in the same year, how do restaurateurs and chefs keep their doors open? The TMRW Project, the collaborative platform made for the industry, by the industry, knows that having a fantastic team is integral to success.
Despite popular belief, keeping a restaurant open isn’t just down to the name above the door, social media following, or Trip Advisor ratings. The key to success is supporting a team that has the freedom, confidence, and knowledge to create unforgettable dining experiences.
Applications are now open via the TMRW Project’s website, from which Emma will match talents across the industry to form The Switch 2017.
Follow the journey here: tmrwproject.co.uk | @TMRW_project | @tmrw_project | #FoHSwitch
THE SWITCH 2016
Max Lee, Assistant Manager at Tredwells London (Junior Assistant manager at Tredwell’s when participating in the Switch 2016). Max has worked at Tredwells for 1 year and was previously at a boutique hotel in Cambridge.
“Being involved in the Switch was a great way to understand my own restaurant, which you forget when you’re there every day. It was great to see how the different locations had such different guests and learn about a different style of service. It was a fantastic networking exercise and being able to meet other people in the industry.”
Emma Morley, Assistant General Manager at Gaucho Hampstead (Supervisor and table host at Gaucho City when participating in the Switch 2016). Emma has worked at Gaucho for 6 years.
“The style of service was so different to Gaucho, it was really interesting to see how they worked. As someone who hadn’t planned on a career in hospitality it was an important reminder about how varied this industry is. There is so much scope and such great possibilities to build a career, when you experience other places of work, such as through the Switch, you are reminded of this.”
*Harden’s 2016 survey records “off-the-charts” restaurant growth
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