Minute on the clock: Anneka Brooks, general manager, Davies and Brook at Claridge’s

The general manager at Daniel Humm’s Davies and Brook at Claridge’s talks to Emma Lake about encouraging her team to share their emotions and keeping them motivated ahead of the venue’s closure.

 

Describe the environment you’ve worked to create for guests at Davies and Brook

 

I wanted guests to arrive and immediately feel welcomed, acknowledged, special and comfortable. So many fine dining restaurants are robotic and almost intimidating – I want our guests to feel like they can be themselves and enjoy the whole experience without thinking they have to act a certain way because they’re in Claridge’s or a “Michelin-starred” restaurant.

 

You spent a lot of time in the US – how has that influenced your approach?

 

Spending time in New York has helped me considerably in terms of everything – personal life and professional. I learned the meaning of true and genuine hospitality and how to create meaningful experiences in a restaurant.

 

New Yorkers are far more open about their feelings and emotions, which in turn helps create a tighter and more trusting team. Not to mention the drive that people have in the city – everyone is so passionate about the industry and pushes every day to be better. That culture is instilled day in, day out through training, guidance and setting everyone up for success

 

Do you think having more open relationships among your team benefits service?

 

In service we deal with humans, all kinds of humans. Some who want hands-off service, some who want lots of attention, some who may have had a bad day, some who may be celebrating the most important night of their lives and it’s up to us to anticipate that, read the table, sense the connection and make it happen. How can we do it if the team are not open with each other, or don’t know each other?

 

We spend a lot of time before service sharing stories about ourselves and talking about why we love the industry. We’ll talk about how to read tables and how to work together as a team seamlessly to ensure the guest gets everything they want. That all begins with the guests having a close, trusting and passionate team to serve them.

 

Have you also found it helps with staff retention and wellbeing?

 

Yes absolutely. The more the teams trust each other and form close connections, the happier the team are, and the more they have a sense of belonging and are part of shaping the restaurant. We speak a lot about embracing tension, and when there is an issue to confront, about having the maturity to sit down, speak to a colleague and explain how you feel or why you may think there is tension. That may be saying sorry for reacting a certain way in the heat of service and reassuring someone it was not personal. The main answer to this is dealing with our egos. Knowing when to say sorry, knowing when to approach someone and embracing the tension.

 

How have you kept your team motivated following the announcement that Davies and Brook will be closing at the end of the year?

 

Obviously, the announcement was incredibly difficult, but the team reacted amazingly. We really pushed the message of “let’s show London how good we are and go out with a bang”. The team want to be the best they can be for these last few weeks and ensure that guests are blown away. We are all so proud of what we’ve created and are seeing these last weeks as an opportunity to really show off. I've never seen a team react with such a maturity and positivity – it’s honestly inspiring to watch.

 

Have you made any decisions about your future?

 

I will be taking a trip in January to see my family in the south of France and then will be coming back to London. I love it here and there is so much potential for this industry. I can’t wait for my next chapter.

 

What challenges do you think front of house teams will face in 2022 and how can they tackle them?

 

I’m sure Covid and staffing will continue to be challenging, but if a team is hired thoughtfully and a project is led by someone who truly believes in the restaurant and the team, then all obstacles can be tackled. What do they say? Happy staff, happy guests? This couldn’t be truer and yet I feel so many restaurants and leaders overlook it.