Celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi is credited with popularizing ingredients such as date molasses and sumac in the UK. Photo: Andrew Crowley
Yotam Ottolenghi, the chef credited with popularizing ingredients such as date molasses and sumac in Britain, has been forced to cut the opening hours of his restaurants due to a shortage of cooks.
Emilio Foa , chief executive of Ottolenghi's restaurant company, which includes Nopi and Rovi in London's West End, said his restaurants had found it difficult to recruit talented chefs after Brexit and the Covid pandemic.
Mr Foa said: “Attracting talented chefs following Brexit and Covid-19 continues to be a challenge and in some circumstances has forced us to change our opening hours.
“Following Covid it was decided to change the hours A small number of our restaurants have been operating and we believe these new opening hours have been successful.»
Nopi and Rovi recently stopped opening for breakfast, but a company spokesman said this was not related to Brexit. According to its website, Ottolenghi Spitalfields deli now finishes meals 15 minutes earlier than last year.
Ottolenghi was founded by Mr Ottolenghi and his business partner, Palestinian chef and writer Sami Tamimi, in 2002 year. , when they opened their first location in Notting Hill, a bakery/deli hybrid with just eight seats.
Ottolenghi was founded by Mr Ottolenghi and Palestinian chef Sami Tamimi (right) in 2002. Photo: Jeff Pugh
Their casual approach to food. have won them a legion of fans, and over the past two decades their restaurants and delis serving Middle Eastern cuisine have expanded and Mr. Ottolenghi has become a household name.
The 54-year-old chef is said to have sold more than 11 million cookbooks, and is often cited as a revolutionary in British middle-class eating, popularizing ingredients such as date molasses, sumac and za'atar.
He previously warned that his company could face labor shortages due to Brexit, telling The Atlantic in 2019 that «the influx of Europeans coming to work for us has been much slower.»
In recent years restaurants and pubs are facing a battle for talent amid severe staff shortages. A recent study by trade association UK Hospitality found that around 61% of businesses are experiencing staff shortages.
Even luxury hotels have been affected, with The Dorchester and The Savoy warning last month that staff shortages were holding back their growth. recovery after the pandemic.
According to September data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the hospitality sector has a higher vacancy rate than any other industry, with around 120,000 unfilled vacancies.
The Government has teamed up with the Jobcentre to trial hospitality «boot camps» in a bid to attract more unemployed people to work in pubs and restaurants.
In addition to the shortage of chefs, Mr Ottolenghi's restaurants have had to contend with disruptions in the supply of critical ingredients.
Mr Foa said: “Various world events, including the war in Ukraine, crop failures and bird flu, have led to… to supply chain issues for some of our key products. , but the chefs have always been creative in adapting our offerings and menus.”
Sales at Ottolenghi's restaurants and delis rose from £21m to £28m in the year to March 2023, new accounts show, but pre-tax profits fell from £6m to £769,671 as the chain was hit by soaring costs .
Mr Foa, a former Burberry and Rapha executive who has been hired to oversee the business in 2022, said: “Double-digit inflation is affecting raw materials and overheads, resulting in management having to spend significant time actively managing its impact on
Despite the cost of living crisis, he said the chain's affluent customer base «has been resilient and maintained its spending.»
He added: » Recruiting talented employees and building a strong company culture continues to be a priority for us as we strive to offer our guests and customers amazing food and exceptional experiences.
“We have seen continued growth and improvement in the current financial year. to the level of our staff and hope to continue this in 2024.”
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