Author Archives: Linda AFWS

Interview blog: Restaurant critic Richard Harden on his view of what makes good service

Restaurant reviewer Richard Harden of Harden’s Guides tells the Academy of Food and Wine Service that the standard of a restaurant’s front-of-house service is as important as the quality of its food. Q: Richard, you have been reviewing restaurants since the early 1990s – how has front-of-house service evolved in that time? Richard Harden: I […]

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Your views on Michel Roux’s Service

Click the link above to read a selection of your views and thoughts on Michel Roux’s Service…do tell us what you think about the programme – has it been a good thing for the industry? Has it helped raise the profile of front of house?Are you getting more applications to front-of-house jobs as a result?

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Interview: UK Restaurant Manager of the Year David Hennigan on making guests feel special

David Hennigan, the 2010 UK restaurant manager of the year, sums up excellent hospitality as ‘creating memories’ for diners. When a honeymooning Australian couple visited David Hennigan’s The Crown at Whitebrook as part of their tour of the best restaurants in the UK, they were treated to such outstanding front-of-house service that they told Hennigan: […]

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Video blog: Peter Avis, 2009 Restaurant Manager of the Year on making a customer feel special

Video blog: Peter Avis on making your customers feel special

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Michel Roux’s Service: Episode Three

In Episode Three the focus for the seven remaining trainees turns to special occasions and learning how to make the customer feel special. The trainees get to make one couple’s day very special, performing service on their wedding day with Heathcotes outside catering division. How will they cope under the pressure? Have they learnt enough […]

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Blog: Zoe Adjey, food and beverage lecturer at Westminster College, discusses food and beverage education in colleges

Chefs in the last decade have become superstars, names who we know, showing us dishes that we can replicate in our homes with just a little time and skill.  This has been both a powerful and positive influence on our industry and on the colleges who train the future stars for our Industry. Waiting in […]

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2011 UK Sommelier of the Year: deadline for entries extended

The Academy of Food and Wine Service has extended the entry deadline for its 2011 Champagne Piper-Heidsieck UK Sommelier of the Year competition to 28 January and the first round questionnaire until 23 February. Entries to the competition are invited from professional sommeliers and wine waiters from any style of establishment including fine dining restaurants, […]

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Blog: Itihaas owner Raj Rana on pursuing a career in hospitality

Birmingham’s Itihaas restaurant, whose owner Raj Rana had no previous catering experience, has been described as a “testament of India’s greatness”. And with customer service that is regarded as high level as the “Maharaja”, Raj Rana talks to the Academy of Food and Wine Service about his experience. Q. You first came into the restaurant […]

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Video blog: Hotel du Vin’s Ronan Sayburn on being a sommelier

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Blog: AFWS’s Nick Scade discusses why good FOH training is so vital

Front-of-house is a fantastic sector to work in – it’s people-based, fast-moving and offers employees the opportunity to progress very quickly if they are motivated and have the right skills. Finding and retaining good people is always difficult, and I believe part of the solution lies in investing in staff training. This will not only […]

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