James 'Jocky' Petrie on improving innovation at The Gordon Ramsay Group
Now five months into the role, Petrie, previously of Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck Group and The Ledbury, has started implementing a structure across the company's 14 sites which include three Maze Grills, Petrus and The Savoy Grill to improve innovation and support teams at each restaurant.
He says: "My role is assisting the chefs and working with the back and front of house implementing innovation and assisting with innovation. I'm bringing in new suppliers and current suppliers and looking at food trends as well as looking at how we can cook and get the best out of each ingredient, but the main focus is on hospitality and to make sure we're delivering the best possible product to the customer."
Speaking at The Restaurant Show earlier this month Petrie gives some interesting insight into the way the Gordon Ramsay Group is run, with praise for its set-up which he says encourages independence, but with a safety-net.
"The great thing about the Gordon Ramsay Group is no matter if it's a big restaurant or small restaurant you still going to implement development because each chef and manager is given responsibility for that restaurant. They can still tap into the support office any time and can use that as a back up, but they are essentially running their own business and I think that's a fascinating way to run a business."
