How I Got Here: George Pell
Why restaurants?
It’s the overall atmosphere of a restaurant that I love - the collision of music, art, food, company and chatter that you’ll only ever find in a dining room. It’s a unique experience. The art of making people happy just gets me every time.
Tell us something you wish you had been told at the start of your career?
Listen to the bloke who says “that roof needs fixing”.
What’s your favourite restaurant or group of restaurants (besides your own)?
Would have to be Richard Corrigan’s Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill in Piccadilly. The terrace is my favourite spot for half a dozen Irish oysters and a glass of something fizzy.
What motivates you?
Making people smile.
What keeps you up at night?
Overcooking lobsters and serving corked wine.
Which colleague, mentor or employer has had the biggest influence on your approach to the restaurant business?
Brian Clivaz who you’ll find running the show at L’Escargot Soho. He inspires my generosity of spirit and I owe so much to him for showing me the way in an industry that is not without its challenges.
What time do you wake up?
7:30am or as soon as my dog, Oscar, jumps on my bed. He’s a Parson Jack Russel so is VERY excitable.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon.
How do you let off steam?
Swimming in the river right by my house in Suffolk.
What’s your signature dish to cook at home?
I love to cook a seafood barbecue. A load of langoustines, monkfish tails and whole bass on the grill with buckets of chilled white Burgundy on hand.
What are you currently reading?
Paul Theroux’s The Old Patagonian Express.
What was your dream job growing up?
A stuntman or goat farmer. I would have been happy with either.
What's been your best business decision?
Moving to Suffolk and buying the freehold of 152 Aldeburgh. No regrets!
And the worst?
I don’t believe in seeing bad moves as anything other than a great opportunity to learn a lesson. We’re always making good and bad business decisions (however big or small) every day, it’s part of the job.
What piece of advice would you give to those looking to climb the rungs in the business?
Eat in your favourite restaurants 20 times and study what they’re doing. Work out what it is they do that you love. Spot the little things that you’ll miss on the first or second visit, see the way they fold their napkins or pour the wine, how they welcome guests and make people feel special. See what the greats do and learn from them.
If you could change one thing about the restaurant industry today, what would it be?
I’d love to change the way that some people view the hospitality industry as a stop gap and start helping them see it as a career - a brilliant and rewarding one at that!
Bio
Pell was born in Bath in 1984. He went to school at King Edwards in Bath then studied History and Arts at Nottingham University. He left university and joined a management training programme at Home House members club in 2003. He joined the Arts Club as general manager of the Nightclub in 2008. Pell joined L’Escargot in 2014 where he now remains a director. In the summer of 2020, Pell launched L’Escargot Sur-Mer in Aldeburgh as a way of protecting staff jobs during the pandemic. Last month, Pell relaunched the seaside offshoot as a permanent venture called The Suffolk.
