All language subtitles for The.Hidden.World.of.Hospitality.with.Tom.Kerridge.S01E03.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

Check on, two covers. Two soup,
follow two cod. Oui.

I'm Tom Kerridge, and I've been
working in hospitality

for over 30 years...

Chef, behind, behind, behind!

..standing shoulder to shoulder...

Happy? I love it, mate. Oui.

Right, four beef now.

..with some of the country's
most skilled

and inspiring professionals.

You've got this.

I'm Tom, nice to see you.

I wouldn't want to be doing
anything else.

But how much do our customers

really know about what it takes
to deliver a warm welcome,

amazing food and great service?

In this series, I'm letting
the cameras into my world...

We have got 1,500 people
to serve lunch.

..and I'm going behind the scenes
in dramatically different

businesses across the UK...

You're amazing. Oh, thanks.

..from a plush city centre hotel to
a hideaway rural retreat...

..from a fancy Michelin-starred
restaurant to a century-old

fish and chip shop,

and from a huge wedding venue

to a buzzing street food festival.

I'm lifting the lid on our industry
like never before...

We've actually got vinegar
for blood, by the way.

..to reveal the side of hospitality
our customers rarely see.

Six hours until we open.
And as you can see...

..nothing's here.

How we operate...

Lady boss!

..our trade secrets...

300 portions of gravy. When you ask
for more gravy,

just think about that.

..the gambles we're taking...

So what's your timescale?
Four weeks.

SHOUTING
..in the face of huge challenges.

The fallout of last few years
of Brexit and Covid,

it's real in this industry.
It's massive.

This is UK hospitality

and this is our inside story.

Service!

You know we're filming this?

LAUGHTER

This time, how can our industry
build its all-important teams

in the midst of the worst staffing
crisis I've ever seen?

Hospitality is struggling
with staff.

There's 400,000 people
that have left the industry.

We need a workforce.

In London's Docklands, an innovative
floating hotel is revolutionising

the way newcomers are entering
the business.

It's now on them to test all their
skills that they've learnt

and put them into use.
Sink or swim, ultimately.

In South Shields, a family-run fish
and chip shop has found a winning

formula for creating staff loyalty.

We try to treat the team like
your family, and it's not

just staff members.

Can't get rid of them.

And for me and my team,

it's all hands on deck in
high-stakes Monaco...

..where the fine line between
success and failure

hinges on all my staff

working in perfect harmony.

The Grand Prix race is not
going to wait because we haven't got

some salads on a boat in time.

We have to get things there.

I'm starting in London's Docklands
with a visit

to a very intriguing business.

With this enviable position right
between the O2 and the ExCeL Centre,

this 148-room mid-market hotel

serves almost 70,000 guests a year.

CHEERING

The large floating structure
is surprising in itself.

A floating hotel.

But it's their claimed success

transforming unemployed local people
into hospitality professionals

that's really pricked my interest.

Today, Marten Dresen,
the hotel's founder,

is welcoming the latest cohort
of his trainees.

Hi, Tom. Hello there, Marten.

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.

This is a very cool space.

Welcome on board.

So here, how long have you
been here?

How did it get here? Did it already
exist?

I mean, I've got so many
questions floating in my head.

Tell me about it. We basically
bought this as an existing

accommodation barge,
but it wasn't looking so nice.

We bought it in Amsterdam,
refurbed it in Amsterdam,

and then brought it across
the North Sea.

And it weighs about eight million
kilos, so it's pretty heavy.

So in order to sort of ship it
across, we needed to lift it up,

put it on another ship.

Eight million kilos? Yeah, yeah.

The actual crossing of the North Sea
was about two days.

What a journey!

For Marten, whose background
is in shipping and not hotels,

it was a trip to Central America
that prompted his shift

to hospitality.

The whole thing started
in Guatemala.

I was there volunteering, trying
to help kids in this poor village.

We built a school and then after
a while, kids starting to go

towards graduation age, I'm thinking
like, "Where can we create valuable

"jobs for them?" They now speak
English and then they should get

out of this little community
where the main source of income

was picking coffee beans.

I was like, "If we can create
tourism and hospitality options,

"that'll create a future."

But you've come in from it
and looked to hospitality

and seen how many
opportunities it can create.

It's the ultimate people
business, isn't it?

And I think what hospitality
should be about.

Marten established the first Good
Hotel in Guatemala and is now

applying the same philosophy
here in London.

The hotel is moored in the borough
of Newham, an area with some

of the highest unemployment rates in
the whole of England.

So I got into thinking about
how can I connect people

and how can we actually
harness business to do good?

And I think if you just look back,
not even maybe a century,

businesses were training up their
communities

and were basically doing

what we all think business should be
doing - is elevating people.

And since 2017, the boat's
been here in London,

we've been rolling out the training
programme, and training up as many

local Newham residents as we could.

The hotel runs three training
programmes a year,

each lasting four months,

giving local unemployed people
a start in the industry.

Today we have a new group
of trainees in.

Yeah. Super cool. Can I come and sit
at the back? Please. Let's do it.

Hi, guys.

Hi. Morning, everybody. Can we just
sneak in and join you for a bit?

Welcome to our Good training
programme.

We don't often get everything
perfect.

We don't make mistakes.

It's part of development.

It's part of who we are.

But the important thing
is that we learn.

Try to put these in
the correct order.

This latest group is the hotel's
13th cohort of trainees.

They'll have four weeks of classroom
time with training and development

manager Toni, followed by three
months of on-the-job training.

How are you guys? Enjoying? Yes.

It's always super nice, a special
moment to be able to meet

the new group. What we want to
create is human value

through being financially
successful, which is hard work,

guys, you know. You've got
to stick with it and then

this will be your thing to pay
forward, you know? Inspire others

to be of service and be in
hospitality,

which is just a fancy word
for taking care of each other.

I just made a new friend, Tom,
here. Hey, everyone. Hello, Tom.

I've been in hospitality
for 32 years.

And all of those words,
I mean, they're so true.

It is incredibly hard, but it is
also such a rewarding thing

to be a part of.

When I first started, I didn't
have the classroom space

and an amazing teacher like Toni
there and those sort of foundations.

You're already on a great
head start.

Just focus on getting a little bit
better every day.

Enjoy it, look out for each other.

And that's what it is.

And maybe in 30 years, we'll
be like Tom.

Good luck, guys. Good luck.
Thanks, guys. Thank you so much.

Good luck. We'll see you in a bit.

So far, 133 local residents
have come through the programme.

But what surprises me is that
there's no tie-in for them

to work at this hotel
when they finish.

What's stopping them doing
the four months with you,

with your heart, soul, energy,
that you've given them, everything,

for them to leave here and go over
there cos they get paid £2

an hour more? So that happens every
four months.

A whole bunch of them fly out.

We can't keep them because then
that would basically stop

the revolving programme
from working.

Basically, the whole reason
we started doing

this is cos I wanted to create
jobs and train people up.

And then we started building
the organisation around it.

If they're happy, if they're smiley,
if they're actually interacting

with guests, that creates value.

That allows us to charge higher
rates for relatively small rooms.

And that's what separates
you different

to the place over the road.
I commend you.

Like, that's amazing to see.

OK, which way? All right.
Follow me.

I'm intrigued to see those rooms,

so General Manager Desi has joined
to show me around.

Just checking, yeah? Just in case.

Always locked, no matter what.

There are a handful of spacious 30-
square-metre king size rooms.

It's light, it's airy.
I mean, it's a nice space.

But most are clearly designed
to maximise the hotel's capacity.

All right. This is our standard
rooms.

OK, so this is a much
more compact, clean, sharp,

functional bedroom, but
it feels lovely.

So what is the average room
rate for this?

Average room rate per night
is around £120.

VAT on top of that.
Yeah, of course.

OK. So 20% on top of that.

See, I think that's incredible
value.

I was expecting much more north
of that.

Get your worries taken away,

we've got these little Guatemalan
worry dolls on every bed.

So you put them under your pillow.
I mean, that sounds great.

Handmade by some of the mums
of our kids in Guatemala.

No way? Seriously.

What a lovely little nod to

the history and the foundation
of the hotel.

You should take it. It's yours.
Yeah.

Keep your worries away.

I might need more than two
little dolls,

I've got to be honest.

LAUGHTER

But there's more to this hotel
than just affordable rooms.

Up on the top deck...

Wow!

This is amazing, isn't it?

This is... This is amazing!

..a view that would be the envy
of any hotel.

I mean, basically, it's a perfect
location for a hotel,

for businesspeople. Absolutely.
Business. Tourists?

Tourists. Obviously, people enjoying
concerts or shows at the O2.

The locals. They sort of all come
out when the sun comes out.

It's a great beer garden.
What a cool space.

For pricey central London,

this place is offering tourists
and conference guests

a solid value for money package.

But that's not all.

And what's great about the Good
Hotel is that it's separate

from the rest of the crowd.

It has unique selling points.
If you want to do good and you want

to give something back as a hotel
guest, this is a great opportunity

to do it. The classroom bit,
the giving back,

the training purpose,
I think is fantastic.

How many of those actual
new recruits that come

into that classroom then transcend
into the industry?

The success rate is something
that I'd like to see.

Hospitality is struggling
with staff.

There's 400,000 people that have
left the industry,

if not more, over the last three
or four years.

Pre-Brexit, we were able to recruit
staff from the whole of Europe.

Post-Brexit,
we've now alienated ourselves.

In Marlow, we're fighting
the staff crisis

with a more conventional approach -

apprenticeships.

You want to get curly parsley, get
that chopped for the garnish. OK.

And one of our latest recruits
is 17-year-old Rhianna.

If you see cayenne pepper
when you're searching? Yeah.

Thank you!

On our scheme, new starters gain
on-the-job experience in four

of my businesses - Lush event
catering,

The Hand and Flowers,
The Butcher's Tap,

and here, at The Coach.

Yeah. Make that your last job.

Wipe down your section,
and then you're going to come

and prep some chicken thighs
with Rich.

Rhianna's taking her first
step in her cheffing career

after leaving school.

For me, entering a professional
kitchen after formal education

was a truly life-changing
experience.

When I had homework to do or
a project at school,

the idea of sitting down and doing
it, actual work

was just like the worst.

I would have put myself
down as being lazy

cos I couldn't be bothered and it
wasn't exciting, but actually

getting into a work environment -
far from lazy.

I rapidly saw that the harder
you worked,

the more you achieve. The more you
achieve, the better you can get.

So am I just doing the spice mix?
Yeah.

So do all the highlighted stuff.
Yep.

Times on recipe or...?

Um, yeah. Do a couple.
Do a double times. OK.

Were you good at maths at school?

No.

I can do doubles, though.

I have dyslexia, so a lot
of things are hard.

But, yeah, this is really...
Cooking's really the only really

good thing I can do.

In school, it's very like if you
don't have these grades, you won't

make it far. But it's the complete
opposite in this industry.

Like, you can come from absolutely
nothing and get right to the top.

I mean, obviously there's a test
at the end of the apprenticeship,

but it's literally cooking food.
That's the test.

So it's like right up my street.

Don't have to write anything down.

So it's all good. Yeah.

Kitchens, if you have a work ethic,
embrace a work ethic.

They recognise that you don't know
everything

because you're 18 years old.
I mean, you know nothing.

But if you show that you're keen
to learn, people will take

you under their wing.

For Rhianna, that person is head
chef, and Michelin's current

Young Chef of the Year, Sarah.

I think apprenticeships
are so important.

I actually became a chef
through an apprenticeship of my own.

So it's so important going straight
into a kitchen environment.

Yeah, I think apprenticeships are
the best way

to learn how to become a chef, 100%.

After The Coach,
I'll be going to Lush.

Until I've been to Lush, I can't
tell you where I want to end up.

But whatever happens is whatever
happens.

No, she's a good girl. If she keeps
her head down,

she'll go very far.

But she's got to keep her head
down first.

The apprenticeship scheme
is something that we value very much

cos we hope that these guys will go
on, stay with us for a long

time and massively just embrace
the industry.

We need operators.

We need young chefs, young waiters,
and we need a workforce.

It's 6.30am in London's Docklands
and a cold snap has brought a rare

covering of snow to the capital.

With their classroom lessons
complete,

the latest trainees have now picked
a department

they'd like to work in...

..from housekeeping, reception,
kitchen and front of house.

Their next challenge, on-the-job
training, whilst dealing

with real hotel guests.

The front ones are carrot. Carrot.

The middle ones are red velvet.
Red velvet.

The back ones are chocolate fudge.
OK.

18-year-old Alice is one of two
trainees that have chosen

the customer-facing bar
and restaurant.

The start of her eight and a half
hour shift

begins with a test from food
and beverage manager Charles.

So a lot of information.
Straight away, let's go.

Raspberry and coconut. Ten out
of ten. Uh, chocolate,

I think it was. We've got three
types.

Yeah, the chocolate ones...
Carrot. Oh, carrot. Sorry.

No worries. Red velvet. Ten out of
ten. And chocolate fudge.

That's the one. These are
the vegan ones. Victoria sponge.

Oh, Victoria sponge.

All good. Just need to keep that in
my head.

At school I think I was like what
they would call the quiet one.

Know what you're doing? Yeah.

I had a lot of anxiety and a lot of
confidence issues.

I was very shy and timid.
I just kept to my work.

Good morning. Morning.

Do you have a room number?

245. 245.

SHE HUMS

Enjoy. Perfect. Thank you.

Joining Alice on the breakfast shift
is 23-year-old trainee Sinead.

Have a little look, look at
the bread as well. Yeah?

And then you want to go and get that
refilled. All right?

Have you got a pen and paper
as well, so I can write them
down? Sure.

To be honest, I didn't do too great
with school.

I did struggle quite a bit,
and moving to and from

different schools in foster care,

that, of course, doesn't help.

I've never had any hospitality
experience before this.

I just thought, you know,
let me try it.

I can see there's a lot of options
for breakfast and stuff,

so trying to remember where
everything is and where everything
goes is a little bit tricky.

It definitely takes a lot of
memory, of course.

When you start off in the industry,
it's very difficult.

It can feel very overwhelming
cos there's terminology, there's

technology, there's systems
and processes

that you don't really understand.

I'm not going to lie, it's going to
be a bit of a hunt in here cos
I'm still trying

to get used to where everything is.

Strawberries.

You couldn't start at the bottom of
this industry

and be in this business
without any form of support system.

Support is there from line
management.

When you go into a kitchen or you go
behind a bar, or you're working

front of house, you're put with
somebody who knows the role.

Right, now, what we need to start
looking for is -

what are you sort of running low on?
So you've got plates over there.

You might want to go and restock
some plates.

Double check the cutlery. Double
check everything you've got. Yeah?

OK. Yeah. Yeah? Amazing.

For Alice and Sinead, Charles will
be responsible for their support

and development moving forward.

Charles, what shall do I with
this one? You can use tongs

and just add it on top. Yeah.
OK. Towards the front, so it's like

first in, first out. OK. Yeah.
Yeah. That's the one.

And just pop them on top.

With this hotel, especially, you get
thrown

in the deep end, I think, with all
aspects of hospitality,

because it's not just a traditional
hotel breakfast, it's not

just a restaurant. You've also got
an enormous amount of events

that will vary depending on the type
of clients that come into the hotel.

Charles? Sorry, is there any
marmalade?

Marmalade? Yeah. Uh... I can go
and check in the back. I don't think

so, though, but I'll just double
check. Yeah.

He's just going to double check,
yeah.

Mentoring the trainees while
simultaneously looking

after his guests means that Charles
has two roles to perform.

It's so supportive to every
different type of person,

and you really feel like you're
doing something good.

You actually get to mould real
people into

a potential new future career.

So for one of the events that we've
got today, we've got

a cocktail reception.

Charles is such an amazing
person, honestly.

Every time he sees you, he boosts
your confidence.

He's one of my favourite ones.

What we're going to do is we're
going to show you how to make

them, so that you feel confident
when you're going to be in the room

serving people. All right? Mm-mm.
Sound good? Yeah.

Yeah. It's the most fun part. Yeah.

You get to be creative.

I have worked in hospitality before,
but they didn't show me like

properly how to, you know, pour
drinks and stuff like that.

Whereas here they properly show you
step-by-step what to do.

Oh, wow.

Cool.

Delish. Who made that one? I did.
On the whole,

super tasty. Really good.

In the months ahead, Charles's
guidance and encouragement

will be crucial for the trainees
to successfully complete

the programme and potentially
secure a rewarding job.

I sat down with my mum and my dad
and just went through what I really,

really wanted to do. And I know
the one thing I really wanted to do

was help people.

I'd been looking around for months
at the Jobcentre, like,

you know, looking online for jobs,
and it's stressful trying

to find something. There's not many
opportunities,

especially training courses,

so I'm hoping to make something real
good out of this

and be able to settle in.

So many people would have worked
in hospitality.

What we need to do is actually use
a net

and keep many of those people,

help them develop, and then build
them into a strong team.

Over 18 years, we have built
an infrastructure and a network

of fantastic hospitality
professionals.

So across five, six, seven different
kind of operations, we have some

incredibly talented and brilliant
people that we can draw

upon to be able to deliver something
that's sort of top standard,

no matter what it is that
we're doing.

For my catering company Lush,

there's one highly prestigious
and pressurised gig that can make

or break our reputation.

With no room for error,

I need my very best team together
for the Monaco Grand Prix.

So this is it, Monaco. This is
the home

for the next three or four days.

You see all this glitz and amazing
kind of shine, and this sprinkling

of the stardust on the outside,

but behind the scenes, there's
a huge team of people grafting.

This year, we've been asked to cater
for six different yachts, providing

lunch, dinner and canapes for over
1,800 high-paying guests.

Deliver a faultless service

and we could win more F1
business next year.

This, for me, actually, is one
of the most amazing events.

I'm a huge Formula 1 fan.

So to be able to be out here
cooking, hanging out

in superyachts, shaking hands,
meeting the teams, it's an amazing

space to be a part of. If you're an
F1 fan, it's all about Monaco.

During race week, every square inch
of Monaco is in high demand.

To get enough space for our
commercial kitchens,

we've had to establish our operation
several kilometres along the coast

and across the border in France.

Hey, guys. Hi. Hi!
How are we all?

So this is like the nucleus,
the hub.

This is where all the work
gets done.

So this is essentially a conference
room in a hotel,

and then we convert it into
a prep room.

We've got a working kitchen next
door, and then next door to that,

it's kind of like an office space
where the front of house team will

organise themselves and work out
what's going onto each boat.

So the logistics of something like
this is super difficult

to put together. It's not just like
in a restaurant space

where the guest comes to you,
you cook the food and you serve it.

Here we're creating something in
a hotel 2km

from where the boats are based.

Uh, mango. Yep.

To be able to deliver such a
complicated event, I have assembled

the A-Team from across all of my
businesses,

including Warren, the exec chef for
the whole group,

Kieran, exec chef for Lush,

and Sarah, head chef at The Coach.

In total we've flown and bussed
in 30 of the best from the UK

and hired in 25 local temp
staff to help.

We're going to see...

OK. And then we're going to
Mercedes.

And then go to Mercedes.

The person that tells me what to do
completely amongst

everything is Alex. So Alex is my PA

who makes everything work.

The infrastructure. Tries to. Tries
to! Knowing what boat, what time,

where we're meeting,
who we're doing,

all of it comes through Alex,

cos I haven't got the brain
capacity for understanding

all of it.

The team's goal - to create and
serve a menu every bit as high-end

as anything I'd serve in my
restaurants.

This is a truffled duck liver
mousse.

This is going to be filling a mini
vol-au-vent with a fig chutney.

Favourite canapes,

this is certainly one of them.

We are going to make 600 of those.

Easy. Easy, easy.

Once the food is prepped
in this kitchen, everything

has to be boxed up and transferred
across to the yachts.

Leaving in five minutes, mate, yeah?
Yeah.

Dan, five minutes, yeah?

SHOUTING IN FRENCH

We'll make it, we'll make it, we'll
make it.

The cool boxes are loaded
onto tenders, small boats

that carry our precious cargo.

This is the taxi to work.

I mean, it's not bad, is it?

Hopefully not bouncing about too...

HE LAUGHS

Not bouncing about too much!

And then it's into the iconic
Monaco Harbour itself.

Monaco is fraught with things
that could go wrong.

It's getting on and off a boat,
we're delivering food by water

on a little speedboat, and going
up and down a ladder at the back

of things. Like, it's timing,
just getting things organised,

getting structured because the Grand
Prix race is not going to wait

because we haven't got some
salads on a boat in time.

Like, we have to get things there.

Is that one a heavy one? Do you
want to swap? No.

I just picked up the lightest box.

As if each service
wasn't pressured enough,

one of the yachts we're catering
has been chosen to host a party

for the most VIP of all VIPs -

Albert II, the Prince
of Monaco.

As he's constantly in demand,
his arrival time isn't guaranteed,

so Warren and Sarah must work
quickly to finish each dish

in the tiny galley kitchen.

Bowl, dressing, bowl, dressing, etc.

And then all we've got to do is
mix, mix, mix.

Oui, merci! Merci!

Up on deck,

guests are already enjoying
the atmosphere.

They've paid a pretty penny to be on
this yacht - up to £30,000

for the weekend.

Great starters!

I'm glad you enjoyed
them, but it wasn't us!

So tonight, because it's
the prince's party,

I mean, also just cos
we want to get it right,

one of the boats hasn't got anything
on tonight,

so the team that were working
on that boat have come over here

to help everybody else.

Thank you.

All right.

All right. Thank you.
Merci, monsieur!

Below deck, the race is on to get
everything ready

for the prince's arrival.

But just as the team are making
headway...

Stand down.

Hold fire. Hold fire.

..they get news of a delay.

Here's the irony, right?

We're ready now, but there's
no-one here.

So we just have to wait
for the go-ahead

that the guest of honour
is on his way.

The moment you go to an event, it
becomes a little bit rogue.

You structure yourself for timings,
but then, you know, you wait

to see what happens. They might not
come to the boat.

They might be two hours late.
You have to be ready to adapt.

You have to be constantly slightly
on edge with a little bit

of that sick feeling in your stomach
of, "I hope this is going

"to go all right." I love that risk.
I love it.

The news is we're off.

There was a crowd outside.

And then we get given the nod
that the prince

is on the boat.

Start service. So that's it.
Away we go.

Service. Yes, Chef. Gougere, red
onion jam.

But while Warren and Sarah look
after the prince, I have to head

back over the border to the prep
kitchen to deal

with a serious issue.

Monaco is such a enclosed
environment, the boats and the boat

operators, they all know each other.

They all know who's doing what
catering on which boat.

So the idea of potentially
getting something wrong

would rapidly spread.

Reputation is huge.

So, yeah, I'm always very,
very conscious of that.

So we're going to have to send an
email probably to front of house

staff to remind the temporary staff
that they have to know exactly

what's in each dish. I got offered
a chilli and mango tartlet.

Oh, my God.

But it was...

It's obviously the one with
lobster in it.

I'm allergic to shellfish.

And if I hadn't known exactly
what was in that canape,

it would have made me very ill.

Temp staff can't speak English
very well.

He's French. He was lovely, very
friendly,

but he didn't have it in him
that he knew exactly what it was.

They should be having a full
briefing, cos they've all got

allergen sheets and everything.
They are.

But this is a problem where
it's a language barrier.

So I think instead of telling them
exactly what's in the tart,

we should tell them what is the one
thing that they need to know.

So this has lobster in it.

Catering for dietary requirements
and allergens

is a critical part of the job.

Every single member of the team
has to be on the ball.

Thank you.

So, Chrissy, here, take that. Are
you going to take all of that?

Yeah. Chrissy, that's for you.
They're my last...

We may be in a beautiful part of
the world,

but for us this is certainly
no holiday.

Are you eating well in Monaco?

No, absolutely not eating
well in Monaco.

Not due to the food,
cos the food

we're serving is exceptional.

However, I'm spending a lot
of time running around.

We're loading up now.

We're going to be eating sausage
roll trimmings cos we don't know

when the next meal is coming from.

Cos as you can see, I need
the next meal.

Delivering perfect hospitality
here is a unique challenge.

For my team, it's an adrenaline
rush, but that doesn't come

from the racing because we barely
have a chance to watch it.

You have to work very hard.
But you're there.

The Grand Prix's there, the noise,
the people, the buzz, the energy

is just fantastic.

So it's one of those opportunities,
life experiences

that you'll remember forever.

When all the eating, drinking
and racing is over,

it's time to pack down and head
ashore,

ready for our return to the UK.

We've still got another boatload
to go.

As you can see, we stack them high,
so one more round of tenders

and then one, two, three, six of us,
Tom and Alex.

And then that's it.

This weekend, my incredible team
have been scattered between

the temporary kitchens and six
different yachts.

But tonight, we finally get to come
together and enjoy

receiving hospitality for a change.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

I'm so proud of everybody,
of everything they've done.

It's a massive amount of work,
six months of work

for the Lush team.

And then everybody, then, that jumps
in and throws it over the top,

they've come out the pubs and the
restaurants, they've come together,

they've been amazing. They've
been an absolute...

I'm so, so proud of them.

Yeah. So I've got a little bit
of a chill time.

I'll have a couple of slices
of pizzas and a couple

of bottles of water.
I'll enjoy it.

But I'm up and out at 3:30
in the morning.

I've got an early flight to catch.

Hospitality is incredibly embracing.

It doesn't matter
on your personality type.

It's great if you're outgoing
and you're front-facing,

and it's wonderful to work with
the guests and the consumer

and you're meeting people.

But also, if you're a little shyer
in those sorts of situations,

actually hospitality is one of those
places that, because it's all

about teamwork, you can develop,
you can grow,

you can build your confidence.

And back in London's Docklands,
trainees Alice and Sinead

are about to discover how much
they've grown in confidence.

Good morning. How are you?

Hi.

Down low, too slow.

A local school trust is holding
an event,

a meeting followed by a canape
reception for 30 guests.

And this event is all being run
by the trainees.

So tonight is key, really,
for Alice and Sinead.

So, obviously, we've been on
a journey where they've been,

you know, learning different aspects
of hospitality, different aspects

of events, and food and beverage.

And they've very much been in
a supporting role.

It's now on them to test all
the skills that they've learned

and kind of put them into use
and practice. Sink or swim,

ultimately, in the nicest
possible way.

With their nerves already on edge,
Charles learns of a major change

to the schedule, piling even
more pressure on the trainees.

I need to find the girls.

Hi, ladies, so I'm not going
to lie to you.

The meeting has left.

They've got out an hour early. We
need to go now, yeah?

OK, yeah. Perfect. Yeah? Cool.

With time against them,
they race to the kitchen.

They'll need an encyclopaedic
knowledge of each canape,

and the confidence and communication
skills to share

that with the guests.

So, Chef, could you tell me
rough timings for the first

set of canapes?

For the first serving, it's going to
be gazpacho in two minutes.

Two minutes? Yeah, that works.

So, Alice, if you want to start
with the first bunch.

Yeah? So you're going to be taking
the watermelon gazpacho.

Do you remember what the allergens
are in that one?

Um, is it egg?
Is there egg in there?

Chef, can you confirm? Yep.
Egg? Eggs.

Yep. OK.

Yeah. So, garlic prawns.

We've got a guasacaca. Chef,
Is that the right pronunciation?

Guasacaca? Guasacaca. Guasacaca.

Now, in terms of service
for this event, do we know...?

Do we remember how we need to kind
of approach the guests?

Yeah. Yeah? So where do we need
to go?

In like a figure of eight.
Exactly.

Remember, this is your
event, all right?

I'm very much just in the background
today.

So it's just going to be on you.
Yeah?

Up high.

Down low. Too slow.

That's it. All right?

Go on, girl.

Yeah? Yeah.

Hey, guys, would you like any?
What is it? Watermelon gazpacho.

Oh. That sounds kind of
interesting. Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you. Help yourself.
No worries, enjoy.

Can I interest you in any more?

No? Have a good day.

Very small, really dainty.

You're just going to give
it to them.

They're going to kind of shot it
a bit like an oyster. Yeah? OK.

Yeah. All good? Mm-mm. Cool.

I'm just worried about that one on
the end that's proper wobbling.

Hi, guys. Would you like any mussel
vinaigrette?

Oh, sure. Yeah. Thank you.

Just pop that down.
Thank you very much.

No worries. Enjoy. I've got a napkin
here if you want it as well.

Thank you. No worries. Cheers.

I'll tell you, I was so glad of the
last one. The one that was wobbling

the most, someone took it straight
away. I was like thank you!

That one was scaring me.

That was definitely going
to fall.

Gluten for the salt crust,
eggs, of course.

And the mussel and sulphates.

In the dressing, eggs and gluten.
And gluten as well, OK.

Mussels, sulphate, eggs. Four
of them.

Despite some nerves, Alice
and Sinead are keeping their guests

well-fed and well-informed.

A pleasing sight for Charles
watching from the sidelines.

Hi, guys. Can I interest you in
a steak tartare?

Oh. No? I'll try it.

Yeah? Thank you.

So, ladies, what's the word?
BOTH: Guasacaca.

Guasacaca, that's it.

Hey, we've got some
guac... Guasacaca.

What's this? Guasacaca. What's that?

It's smoked salmon with
guacamole.

Oh, I'll try that. Yeah? Thank you.
No worries.

It's called guasacaca.

It's a salmon roll.
Oh, I'll try one. Yeah?

With the last of the 150 canapes
served, it's time for feedback

on Alice and Sinead's first
solo event.

We've been coming here for a couple
of years now, and we'll come back

again for this function next year.
Of course, we always have a good

experience here. It's always really
well organised.

I mean, I knew they were trainees,
so I suppose I was conscious of it,

but I think if I wasn't,
then it wouldn't have come across.

They were really, really
professional.

I couldn't be more proud,
to be honest with you.

They've absolutely smashed
it out of the park.

You know, they're just so personable
and so friendly, so confident.

You know, they knew the menu.
They knew what they were doing.

It makes me so proud to kind of be
able to see them developed

from, you know, from day
one to now, really.

So, yeah, I couldn't be happier.

For the trainees, their decision
to work in this daunting

customer-facing role is clearly
paying off professionally,

but also on a personal level.

I'm more organised.

Not just obviously here, at home
as well.

People wouldn't really recognise
me now.

I'm learning new things.

It's making me more motivated.

It's just generally making me happy
as a person.

You know, I feel my confidence
rising.

I can feel like I can talk
to more and more people.

Growing up, I'd moved around quite
a lot, so I never really had much

of a place to settle in. Yeah,
and everyone here is so lovely

and caring. It's a really good
community here.

That sense of community or team
spirit that Sinead is feeling

is key to any great hospitality
operation.

Look at that. Teamwork makes
the dream work, don't it, eh?

Lots of good hospitality businesses
are built around, I suppose,

a family dynamic.

You know, I've done it with my wife,
Beth, and so many of those

businesses have that great family
infrastructure

where everybody kind of is pulling
in the same direction.

That family bond creates this
fantastic foundation for things

to grow on.

On Ocean Road in South Shields,

Colmans Fish and Chips
has been in the same family

for nearly a century.

I need cod.

The current custodians are
Richard Ord Senior

and his son Richard Junior.

Our family's been serving fish
and chips here since 1926.

This is where it all began.

Small shack, right on the seafront.

Soft drinks, crisps and ice cream.

And then, well, decided it was
too cold, basically.

So went into fish and chips
and got a permanent residence.

It's something we're very proud of,
the heritage, the length of time

we've been here,

and the next generation to carry
it on.

The two Richards share the
day-to-day running of the family's

original fish and chip shop.

But Richard Junior also manages
their more refined restaurant,

Colmans Seafood Temple,
in the town's

iconic former bandstand.

I mean, what's better than enjoying
a beautiful plate of seafood

while looking out at that?

It's a Friday, the busiest
day of the week.

So father and son are down
at the docks to buy a van load

of the freshest seafood.

Another day, another dollar.

Morning, Si. Morning, Si.

What's the freshest? What's
the best?

Those turbot are fantastic.

Look at the size of that one.

We'll have that. Some
prawns.

We'll have the langos.
Beautiful monkfish.

They're not the prettiest fish in
the sea.

Lovely. We'll have them.

Lobster's always a fan favourite.

Can never keep up with
lobsters, especially

when they're still... When you pick
them up on the morning.

Those baby monkfish tails would be
lovely on the seafood platters.

Yeah, that's perfect.

We'll just roast them on the bone.

Yeah, we'll sell all that and more.

Plenty of carrier bags for them.

See you later.
I'll see you tomorrow.

Special delivery!

First stop is The Seafood Temple.

Still kicking.

It was just swimming a few
hours ago.

Perfect. Well, those are my
specials on there for today.

Now I've got to sell it.

Yeah, you've got to work
your magic upstairs.

Next stop is Ocean Road.

Morning, all!

Although a lot of hospitality
businesses struggle

to retain their staff,

that's not a problem for
this chippy.

No, they'll just not go.
Can't get rid of them.

How long have you been with
us, Lorna? I've been here 15 years.

15 years. 15 years. You see what
I mean?

I can't get rid of them!

The majority of the team that we
have at Ocean Road

have been with us for, I would say,
minimum of kind of ten years.

Good morning, Maria!

There she is. Good morning,
everyone.

We've got Auntie Maria, who works
front of house at Ocean Road.

18 happy years.

I love what I do.

Yes, it's a team and we all work
great together.

But the most loyal of the team
has to be Alan.

44 years we've had Alan.

Morning, Richie boy.

Hello, Al. I'll go and put me
face on.

We try to treat the team like

a family, and not just
like staff members.

They're part of the family.

Just making it, really, a really
genuinely nice place to work.

Having happy staff with decades
of experience is a recipe

for some great food.

Everybody loves our mushy peas.

Can't get them better, that's why.

Alan spent decades creating
perfect mushy peas.

The peas are washed and they're
soaked overnight,

they're rinsed again. A couple

of bicarb steepers to soften
the peas.

We put our own seasoning into them.

And then they're boiled.
You don't want to over-salt them.

You don't want to put too much
sugar.

There's a fine line on a good
mushy pea.

We've got one customer who
comes only for...

Every Monday, he comes and he gets
six cartons

of mushy peas.

But of course, the main draw has to
be the fish and chips.

So, yeah, so we've got about 175
kilos of cod in there.

And then we've probably got another
20, 30 kilo

of haddock there.

Today the team will sell
over 500 portions.

What makes our fish and chips good?

There's a few things that go in.

There's a few things that I couldn't
tell you cos they're top secret.

Fish and chips is a very
simple dish.

There's fish, potato, flour
and water.

We've got to make sure that the few
ingredients that we do use

are the best.

By following the same recipe

for almost a century, this South
Shields institution has developed

some very loyal customers.

I come every week.

Good portions, lovely fish.

Every week I wouldn't miss them.

He's come here for 30 odd year.

Comes every Friday. Waits outside
from about quarter to 11,

to make sure he's first.

See yous later. Ta-ra.

See you later. Thank you!

We have royalty in the house.
Oh, right.

Yes, this is... This is Jean.
Hello.

She's just down from Balmoral. Yes.

Aren't you? Uh-huh. Just a regular
customer.

She's nicknamed Queenie
cos she's like royalty

when she comes in.

She's got an eye for the gentleman.

This one...

Are these for Queenie? Yeah.

So when you put the fish in, you get
a bit of roll back of batter.

So people just like putting a bit of
salt and vinegar on it, or put

it on top of the chips.
A bit more crunch.

The thing is, what is it called?

We get scraps and scrapings.

Yeah, scrapings is a good one.

Scrunchings.

It's scrunchings. Oh, we've
been coming for years

and you know that we're part
of the family.

I think what keeps our customers
coming back

is we serve great fish and chips,

a top class product.

But also it's quite a community
feel, making sure people feel

kind of like our house is their
house kind of thing.

Following the lunchtime
rush at the chippy,

the focus for the evening
turns to The Seafood Temple...

Hi, guys. You all right there?

..staffed by another tightly
knit team.

How are we doing? Good. How are you?

The fish and chips is always
popular over lunch.

When you get into evening service,
we'll start to see a lot

more of the a la carte dishes
coming in.

That's when the lobsters will start
flowing, and the turbot

that we got from the Fish
Quay this morning.

Preparing the fish in the kitchen
is Richard's brother Dominic.

Oh, wow. He's a big boy.

Certainly is.

You're going to get a few portions
out of that. Absolutely.

And then mum Frances.

She looks after us all. Yeah.

How long have you been working
in Colmans?

Oh, just 32 years.

I'm just a newbie, really.

Hey, you've got the full family
here today.

Got the full team.

I'm very confident that it will
carry on in the same vein

that's been going on in the past.

I think we'll go from strength to
strength with Dominic and Richard.

Dominic and I, we kind of live
and breathe this place

and the family business.
And it's in our blood.

We've actually got vinegar for
blood, by the way, if you didn't
already know that.

We just want to keep pushing
on and adapting.

As long as we keep giving people
great service and great fish

and chips, they'll continue to come
back for another hundred years.

Great operators manage
to keep great staff.

And that's not just by paying
them more money.

Actually, it's giving them value,
value for themselves, to make

themselves feel that they can grow
personally and professionally.

Over the last four months,
the team at the Good Hotel

have been helping their new trainees
develop and grow.

With Charles's help, Sinead
and Alice have been working hard

to overcome their lack of
confidence, building their skills

and work ethic...

It's called guasacaca.

..to become valued members
of the crew...

15 millilitres of grenadine
to make it red just like my hair.

..and find a new home
in this industry.

I've been invited back
for a very important day.

Hey, Marten.

Hey, mate. Welcome back.
How are you? You good?

Yeah, very good. All under control?
I think so.

Today is the last day of
the training programme.

We're going to have, like,
the actual last training session

at four o'clock, which is where
our Good hospitality partners,

other hotels and businesses,

come in to help our trainees
with interview training.

Great. Once we finish that, we're
basically wrapping up the programme.

We got a big celebration,
so all of the trainees

are going to get their diplomas
and basically be ready to fly out.

So the purpose of
the job interviews today

is to get them kind of job-ready.

But what's the opportunities
of actually landing a real job?

That's, of course,
what we're all wondering.

But hopefully, yeah, yeah.

I think the programme
has been really successful,

so I'm very hopeful.
What about staying here?

Are there any opportunities here?
There is.

There is actually one vacancy right
now, so maybe one of the candidates

might actually end up
staying in the hotel.

Marten may be keeping his cards
close to his chest for now,

but I do know that 18 former
trainees landed jobs here

after completing their course.

Some rising through the ranks
to senior positions

like breakfast chef Ona...

..And housekeeping shift
supervisor Kida.

And with staffing at the forefront
of all operators' minds,

these speed-dating-style interviews
are a great chance to impress

other local employers.

Hey, Sinead, hey, Alice.
We all good? Yeah. Yeah. Perfect.

How are you feeling about today?

We're excited for tonight.
Just a little bit nervous.

Yeah? Yeah. But overall excited.

Yeah. How have you found
the last four months?

It's been amazing, but also
it's learned us a lot of things,

even about ourselves that I don't
think we could have ever like,

known by ourselves.

I mean, that's how amazing
hospitality is.

Not only is it, like, you learn
a trade, you can earn some money,

you can do all right.

But at the same point,
you get those life skills

about being with people.

I've already see that the two of you
have come on leaps and bounds.

Have you been through
an interview process before?

Not one like this, but, yeah,
we've been through interviews.

Yeah, but I just feel like any
interview's scary really,

because it's just like you're always
going to have some nerves.

As an employer,
all we're looking for is somebody

who is self-confident, aware,
you know, and believe.

Just believe in yourself.

Arm yourself
with some questions to ask.

That isn't just,
when's my next day off?

How much do I get paid?

Although they are quite important.

I tell you what, I'll keep my
fingers crossed for both of you.

Thank you. Thank you.

When you see a trainee or a couple
of trainees get little steps

in their growth, the confidence
building in the programme, that's

what it's all about, you know.

We can talk about big visions
and trying to change the industry

and the way that that business
should be a force for good,

which is all there.

But really, it comes down to
seeing every single trainee shine.

That is
by far the most rewarding
and the most important thing.

This is going to be terrifying.

I'm so scared.

Hello. How are you? I'm good,
how are you?

Happy, hard-working,
always be dedicated.

Before I was very shy, very timid,
didn't really want to communicate

with anyone. And now I
can, like, just easily go.

"Hi. Hi, madam. Hi, sir.

"Can I just please
take your room number?"

What's made it stand out?
The team, for sure.

It's been a really amazing
team here.

And the cocktails.

The most fun part, yeah.

And you have questions for us?

Well, how would your business
value me?

What's your favourite cocktail
to make?

It's been Sex On The Beach. OK.

But I made a bit more local.
It's called Love On The Docks.

And it's very sweet.
So I'm very sweet.

With Cohort 13's interviews complete

and their graduation party
under way,

it's my chance to catch up
with Alice and Sinead.

How did it go, mate? Good. Did it?

Do you feel confident about today?
Yes.

Did you ask...?
Did you ask questions? Yes.

You did? Great.
Amazing. Amazing. Yeah.

Well done, you.
Well done. Well done.

I did see a few people
pick up my profile, so hopefully
I get some calls. Excellent.

Well done, guys.

With the support and guidance
of Toni and Charles,

Alice and Sinead have taken
a huge step towards
a career in hospitality.

And credit is due to Marten,

who came up with
this innovative training scheme.

Because I've been in the industry
for so long, I have a kind

of tendency and it's a weakness
to think that there's a right way

and a wrong way of doing things.

And then every now and then there's
somebody or something that comes

along that makes you sit up,
take note and listen.

Marten, I think, is driven
by something much bigger

than just a floating hotel.

There's a huge social conscience
about what he wants to do,
where he's going.

He wants the hotel to be
a huge success, but he does want

it to reach out deeper.

OK, Marten, it's come to the end.

How do you feel this particular
group has got on?

I think you can tell, right?

Like the growth they've been
through, the way they're now sort

of looking at the world and seeing
themselves as ready to fly out

being hospitality professionals,
it's just massive.

So from the eight that started
the scheme, how many do you think

will stay in hospitality?

At least five. Probably six.

Into hospitality. That's amazing.

A hit rate of well over 50%,
I think is just absolutely stunning.

It must be very proud. Thanks.
Coming from you, that means a lot.

I have to say, we want to do more.

I really see
the industry needing it.

Love to reach out to other councils
in the UK to say like,

can we help you
train loads of people?

Since the scheme began,
70% of graduates have remained

in the industry, and with a success
rate like that, I hope Marten

can expand the programme.

It's clearly had a huge effect
on those involved,

no more so than Sinead and Alice.

We're here together tonight

to celebrate
the graduation of Cohort 13.

CHEERING

Sinead!

Yeah, I definitely would say
it's like a family. Very much so.

Like everyone makes you feel
so welcome and you know,

they make you part of the team.

I think hospitality is about,
you know, caring for people.

You know, seeing them smile
makes my whole day.

So the fresh news.

There's a coffee shop just across
the road from the Good Hotel

that have actually
accepted me for a job.

How does that make you feel?
Really happy.

I'm really excited to start, yeah.

Alice!

CHEERING

Well, I think the
Alice that crossed the bridge

the first time I was here
four months ago,

I was very shy, very timid.

But fast forward to now,
I'm not that shy any more.

My anxiety is still there.

But, like, I can communicate,
which is the best feeling

in the world, I think.

I've just had some really good news.

I've been accepted into the Good
Hotel after my training programme.

I am going to be
a bartender/waitress.

And, yeah, I'm very, very,
very happy with it.

I'm so proud of you.
Love you kids, crazy little weirdos.

It was really nice to see
Sinead and Alice again.

And honestly, they've grown
in so much confidence.

It's like almost two
very, very different people,

in such a short
amount of time as well.

That, for me is the most
amazing thing about hospitality.

I was intrigued as to whether
this business model works,

would work, does work.
But you know what?

They've convinced me. It operates
as a business, but it also trains.

It is connected to its surroundings.

And above all else, that's
what every good business should be.

Next time...

This is looking lush.

..I uncover the gambles...

Have you done this
at the right time?

..operators are taking...

This for us was
a £4.5 million investment.

..in the face of a cost
of living crisis.

Honestly, I'm so glad I'm sat down.

As we reinvent
what a British boozer can be.

This is the largest risk we'll ever
take in my life. It's ride or die.