Trinity turns 15 later this year. It’s quite a time to celebrate such a major milestone...
Yes it’s certainly been an interesting 15th year for the restaurant. But we have potentially learnt more in the last year than we have in the rest of the time we have been open. The pandemic has been a sad time but it has acted as a reset button that has caused me to rethink how efficient we are and how we operate.
How has the pandemic changed Trinity?
A lot of the the operational changes we made to the business due to Covid-19 will remain. Pre-pandemic we were a 57-seat restaurant, and maximising those seats during non-peak times early week could be challenging. The pandemic turned us into a 36-cover restaurant that is fully booked 14 services a week for both lunch and dinner. Lower availability of tables at peak times has spread demand more evenly through the week. Another hangover of Covid-19 is our evening opening times. At the time I was very upset about the curfew but it was clear that guests actually wanted to eat earlier and the service finishing earlier meant fewer hours for my team and longer times between shifts. I grew to see the benefits both personally and for the business. We now open at 6pm so the service starts earlier and our last orders are now at 9pm. We don’t ask guests to leave at 10pm, of course, but customers don’t stay nearly as late as they did, which is great for the team.
Did you have to lose any staff?
We didn’t have to make any redundancies but we did lose some of our staff due to visa expiry and those that were already planning to move on. What we were left with was the right number needed to run a 36-seater restaurant. It’s much more efficient now because pre-pandemic we always had a team that could deliver 57-covers plus a few re-lays, but this was too heavy early in the week and on quieter days. Spreading demand through the week is the best decision I have ever made for the business, and it would never have happened were it not for the pandemic. Like many of my peers Covid has forced a lot of big decisions and changes but there are some real positives to be had.
What were the early days of Trinity like?
It was an enjoyable but tough time. I look back on that period of my life simply wishing I knew then what I know now. There were some very hairy moments early on, I remember staring at a virtually empty dining room at lunchtime a fair few times. We opened on 6 November 2006. The financial crash started to really hit us in early 2008. I remember talking to Phil Howard (Byatt worked under Howard at The Square) about it like it was yesterday. It hit the industry hard, especially the corporate market. Top restaurants in the West End like The Square went from being full at lunchtime to doing just a handful of covers. We were in our infancy as a business and were still managing our set up debt, but being a neighbourhood place helped. This was the start of the ‘stay local’ movement with guests showing increased local loyalty, Leah (Kirkland, Trinity's former general manager) and I worked tirelessly to build those relationships with our locals, it paid off and that clientele remain the backbone of our business to this day. During the financial crash I offered a prix fixe menu on for £20. Footfall increased and we managed to convert a lot of first time diners into long standing friends of the restaurant.
How has Trinity evolved over the years?
The way we cook now and the food we offer is not recognisable to what was on offered in the early days. That said, I’m proud of the journey we have taken and I look back with pride. We have evolved and continue to do so and I think what we do now is self-assured. It's classically rooted but it’s up to date too.
Who else is involved with Trinity?
I started the business with Angus Jones and he remains my business partner. Our relationship has grown over the years. He lets me be me in that he doesn’t get involved in the operational side of things but he does offer his opinion and a different viewpoints, which I value hugely. We have very complimenting skill sets and a like mindedness when it comes to how the business should be run. Angus is also the landlord at Trinity.
Tell us about the 2015 refit...
We closed for four months to turn Trinity into the restaurant I’d always wanted it to be (Byatt also opened the more informal Upstairs, which as the name suggests is above his flagship). We reopened with an open kitchen and the goal to be awarded a Michelin Star. It was an exciting time for myself and the team.
Happily it worked out…
Yes. Trinity was awarded a star in 2016 and has retained it ever since. We continue to invest back into the business and, over time, the restaurant has evolved and I hope it will continue to do so. Since we won the star we attract more people from over the river - Chelsea and Fulham in particular - but I’d estimate that 70% of our customers are local or at least fairly local. And we have 20 different customers that have eaten here over 100 times, which is insane.
Why do you offer four courses rather than three?
I love the way the Italians eat, I love the way the French cook and love English produce. Trinity is a distillation of all that. Having an extra course at the beginning of the meal just felt right to us when we relaunched in 2015. The first course is nearly always something raw or ‘crudo’ while the second course is usually a little more substantial and includes some carbs. Moving to a set menu was a big deal for us. It’s a barrier to entry for a lot of guests because it stops them coming in for a quick bite and a glass of wine, but it was the right way to go for Trinity and we also have Upstairs for that option.
There’s been a huge amount of change in the industry since Trinity has opened. What stands out the most?
The level of saturation in the market is crazy - there are so many restaurants now. Social media has had a big impact, we’re much closer to our customers and we’re also much closer to our peers. Clearly there are negatives with social media but overall it’s been good for the industry. I also believe that guests are far savvier now.
Do you still get a buzz from service?
I’m nearly 48 and have several sites running at any one time but am very much a working chef in that I cook - I wouldn’t have it any other way. I really don’t get that much of a buzz from doing service, but I do get an amazing sense of pride from seeing my team pull together to deliver an amazing service. I love cooking, it is the part of my role that brings me the most satisfaction and makes me whole. A lot of our development work starts at my home. I’ll cook a meal for my family - usually a classic dish - in a homely way. To be able to evolve and refine a classic dish you must first understand its every nuance and what makes it so special before we look to elevate it in the restaurant.
What does that involve?
We don’t try to reinvent the wheel, just think about it differently and apply our principles of cookery, sometimes with wonderful results, sometimes not! It’s usually just a case of getting the sourcing right and using traditional techniques to intensify the flavours. We also move with the seasons, which is something I learnt with Phil. You can’t ignore it once you’re in tune with seasonal cookery. I can’t have asparagus on the menu if it isn’t good, it feels like a betrayal. Working with the seasons and with the team to tweak the dishes that are in our repertoire is the process I really enjoy. It keeps me centred and it makes me happy.