Hotel Cateys 2022: F&B Manager of the Year – Everett Chambers, the Montague on the Gardens

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Everett Chambers of the 101-bedroom Montague on the Gardens, which is part of the Red Carnation Hotel collection, has received Food and Beverage Manager of the Year for his commitment to his team and his guests.

Chambers is responsible for 33 staff, who oversee the £2.8m budget assigned to food and beverage. On average, he manages 450 covers a day across seven F&B outlets.

He is supported by the 12-strong F&B management team, who share 102 years of service to the hotel between them. He ensures each member is trained and developed to Red Carnation standards, and continues to mentor them throughout their career through appraisals for F&B personnel at three-month intervals, setting objectives and monitoring achievements.

Members of his team have gone on to receive an Acorn Award, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3, secure a place on the Möet Chandon Educational Tour, and raise £3,000 for Hospitality Action.

Chambers also works closely with the F&B heads of department and supervisors, the executive chef, and the Red Carnation PR and marketing department to ensure seamless operations.

His work with partners at Book-a-Table, Fork, Design My Night and Afternoontea.co.uk has increased the profile of the Montague’s restaurants. He even managed to build a strong relationship with an investment bank that spends an average of £30,000 on the hotel for its corporate Christmas events and books 100 rooms a year.

Under his leadership, the seasonal F&B outlets have seen incredible growth. For example, London’s original Ski Lodge, which is now in its 12th season, has experienced year-on-year revenue increases, with £290,000 in revenue post-pandemic. In fact, Chambers and his team took to the streets to promote the pop-ups, including handing out flyers in ski-suits and Christmas jumpers in Shoreditch.

Meanwhile the Beach Bar, which is in its seventh year, saw a rise of 38% in revenue from £267,000 in 2019 to £396,000 in 2021, with some of those funds undoubtedly coming from the promotion by the team who pushed ‘beach bar on wheels’ into corporate offices such as Google and Amazon.

But it is not just about the finances. Chambers has also shown compassion towards others throughout his career, recognising the opportunity to bring something positive when the country faced the Omicron variant in 2021 by arranging £10,000-worth of food to be donated to the Single Homeless Project.

He has also supported the hotel’s ambitions of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 by reducing food waste through the food monitoring system, Winnow, an initiative that has been championed and put together by Chambers himself. This should see the Montague reducing food waste by 50% without impacting guest experience. In the same vein, he has been proactive about sourcing alternatives to single-use plastics to eliminate unnecessary SUPs from the hotel by the end of the year.

What the judges said

“Everett has demonstrated success on so many levels. He has driven some exciting activations, which have also helped the business thrive financially.”

Alex Cooper

The shortlist

Everett Chambers, the Montague on the Gardens

Andrew Di Sora, South Lodge

Koula Michaelides, the Ritz London

Varun Shetty, the Belfry Hotel & Resort

Past winners

2021 Sharon McArthur

2019 Alex Cooper, Haymarket hotel

2018 Alice Bussi, Seren Collection

2017 Arjeta Arapi, the Montague on the Gardens

2016 Simon Seis, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London

2015 Sarah Williams, Ham Yard Hotel

2014 Axelle Besson, Lancaster London

2013 Peter Bradley, The Montague on the Gardens

2012 Moses Solomon, Flemings Hotel, Mayfair London

2011 Amit Jaitly, Hilton Birmingham Metropole

2010 James Clarke, Grosvenor House

2009 Erick Kervaon, South Lodge Hotel

2008 Richard Ellison, Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa

2007 Paul Boyce, Malmaison and Hotel du Vin