How I Got Here: Ramin Mostowfi

Why restaurants?

My wife and I both come from the corporate world, but it was our dream to buy our own restaurant. It's why we founded Food for Friends back in 2004, which we ran for nearly 15 years before selling it in 2018. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted to do next, but it was hard to lose the hospitality bug once you have it, so we decided to pursue a different type of restaurant concept, which is more aligned with our own belief of eating with the seasons. We wanted to support small ethical and sustainable local suppliers who share our beliefs and passion for eating good food that is naturally good for you. And from that idea, we created Kindling.

Tell us something you wish you had been told at the start of your career?

That most people are very likely to have more than one career in their working lifetime, including us. By knowing this, it takes some of the pressure off, making that decision as an 18 year old.

What do you do in your spare time?

Since opening Kindling, we don’t have any spare time. But when we do, we love to try the competition and new restaurant concepts, to travel to new places trying local cuisines, and spend time with our kids, family and close friends.

What’s your favourite restaurant or group of restaurants (besides your current one)?

We have a lot of respect for Yotam Ottolenghi and his group of restaurants. I like the way that his foods are accessible to everyone and have championed vegetables being the centre of dishes rather than meat.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in restaurants?

We would always be running our own business as that suits our personalities and lifestyle. I would love to have a business to do with yachts and sailing and Jane would love to have her own therapeutic cookery school, supporting people with health issues through nutrition.

What motivates you?

Working with our team who share our passion for Kindling. It’s never easy doing a completely new start up. When you have a great team, you support each other when there are setbacks and celebrate the successes together.

Where was your last holiday?

In July last year, Jane and I went to Baku in Azerbaijan for five days to watch our son competing for the Junior Team GB in gymnastics at the European Youth Olympic Festival. We then travelled onto Turkey for a week with our son and daughter for some quality family time. Both places have such a warm and hospitable culture which we love. The food is pretty good too!

Which colleague, mentor or employer has had the biggest influence on your approach to the restaurant business?

We’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people over the years. Many of them shaping how our business has evolved, whether it’s a dish on the menu, or some copy on our website. Every day you learn something new from your colleagues but the most important thing that we have learned is that it takes a whole team to have a successful business, as everyone has a different skill set, knowledge and ideas to contribute.

What keeps you up at night?

Our teenage children not coming home on time.

Worst business decision?

A long, long, time ago, giving a new head chef carte blanche to change our very popular vegetarian menu to their own Japanese vegan menu. One that only he alone knew how to cook. He went AWOL and all our customers came in, sat down and then walked out. What a disaster!

Best business decision?

Being brave enough to sell a large successful restaurant business that gave us a comfortable living, because we had lost our passion for running it and were ready for a new business challenge.

What are you reading at the moment?

The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters

What piece of advice would you give to those looking to climb the rungs in the business?

Be prepared to work hard and don’t be afraid to make mistakes as you will definitely have to take a few punches. You need to be able to dust yourself off and carry on and you won’t always be the good guy! Look after your staff and don’t forget your family. Listen to your customers and watch your costs.

If you could change one thing about the restaurant industry today, what would it be?

I would want to change the perception of working in our industry as a professional career. The industry has not got the best reputation as employers and it is often seen as a stop gap job rather than a professional career. Not all customers and staff are interested in the economics of running a restaurant. It is difficult to make a margin nowadays and it is becoming even harder. I would want to see the Government help employers in our industry to be able to offer better career prospects and to enable employers to offer a better work life balance for our staff. One of main drivers for Jane and I opening Kindling as a brand-new concept, is to provide a different hospitality work culture, where people will be at the centre of the business and feel a valued member of the team. The aspiration is to create a better work culture bucking the trend in hospitality by helping our team grow and develop sustainable and fulfillable careers.