Hotel Cateys 2023: Hotel Restaurant Manager of the Year – Eleanor Dimes, Lucknam Park

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Eleanor Dimes joined Lucknam Park in Wiltshire seven years ago as a chef de rang. Now, as restaurant manager of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Hywel Jones, she has demonstrated outstanding support for her team, enthusiasm for the business and meticulous care for her guests.

As well as taking responsibility for the restaurant, Dimes is in charge of all front of house food and beverage service at the hotel, which ranges from afternoon tea to events and functions. It is an extremely busy operation, with breakfast covers up to 120, 60 for afternoon tea and 66 for dinner. And yet, she manages each person in her team of 20, many of whom are relatively young, with excellent mentorship skills, taking the time to get to know them personally. For example, as an Annual Awards of Excellence (AAE) overall winner and Gold Service Scholarship finalist herself, Dimes shared her expertise with two members of her team, who both subsequently reached their own AAE semi-finals. Her ability to lead and care for others resulted in the general manager of the hotel making her a duty manager.

She has been instrumental in raising the profile of Lucknam Park and the hospitality industry as a whole by organising visits for students from Bath, Cardiff and Cross Keys colleges to the hotel. In fact, Ridgeway School in Swindon has already asked to do the same next year.

Dimes also works closely with the sales, marketing, food and beverage and finance directors to ensure the restaurant is bringing revenue opportunities to the wider hotel. By monitoring all forward bookings for the restaurant, she can identify and act on quieter periods to balance the books. For example, she introduced a second premium wine flight to pair with tasting menus, which included wines that are not normally served by the glass, and switched the focus to afternoon tea after spotting greater demand, especially on Sundays. The biweekly cocktail-making class and twice-monthly wine tasting sessions have also brought in significant sums of revenue, clearly demonstrating her business acumen and creativity.

Her genuine passion for her diners is reciprocated by her guests, who often leave birthday cards or even gifts to express their thanks for her exceptional service.

Dimes impressed judges even further with her ability to carve out time for charitable causes, having recently represented Lucknam Park at a dinner in Cardiff in aid of Ty Hafan, a children’s hospice that raised £120,000 on the night. She has also assisted with Hospitality Action’s polo event at Beaufort Polo Club and stresses the importance of giving back to her own teams. She is a role model and a true inspiration for others in the industry.

What the judges said

“Not only does she excel in F&B, but she also manages to juggle duty management tasks, mentoring and has time to do social and even charitable activities, which is really inspiring.” Leni Miras

“Eleanor was a stand-out winner. You got a real sense of her passion for F&B and her people management” Jennifer McCabe

The shortlist

• Rémy Baben, Wild Honey St James
• Conor McBreen, The Slaughters Manor House
• Andrea Caldelari, Pan Pacific London
• Eleanor Dimes, Lucknam Park