How I Got Here: Anthony Murphy
Why hospitality?
We started off doing this as a hobby and the idea was to make great burgers and food for our friends and family, so I think it all stems from making people happy and wanting people to have a good time.
Tell us something you wish you had been told at the start of your career?
Make sure you have a good work/life balance, nothing's more important than your family.
What’s your favourite restaurant or group of restaurants?
I love Pasture in Cardiff and Bristol - fantastic steak restaurant.
What motivates you?
Our goals to be one of, if not the best burger joint in the country. That's what we strive for every day.
What keeps you up at night?
My kids who are three and five. And also: food inflation, staff shortages, rampant energy costs, but mainly my kids.
Which colleague, mentor or employer has had the biggest influence on your approach to the hospitality business?
Outside of the four Beefy Boys it would be Kate Lee (one of the founding Beefy Boys) wife. She grew up in a hotel and has worked in hospitality her whole life. She was the one that allowed us to focus on the kitchen and getting that right while she took care of FOH.
What time do you wake up?
6am, this is down to my kids and also the amount of things that need sorting each day.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee, black.
How often do you check your email?
Sadly, multiple times a day.
How do you let off steam?
Watching 80's movies or playing with my kids.
Do you prefer a night on the tiles or a night on the sofa?
Sofa... ten years ago it would have been the tiles.
What’s your signature dish to cook at home?
Singapore noodles.
Typical Sunday?
Sunday is usually my day off so I tend to cook a big roast for the family. We love to get outside and do stuff, walks, bike rides, scooters etc. Then chill after a roast dinner with a movie night and making some popcorn.
What are you currently reading?
Harry Potter to my daughter. I try and do all the voices from the films - I am very pleased with my Alan Rickman impression, and my daughter is too young to realise how cringe her dad is being.
What boxset are you currently watching?
Succession - fantastic series, really gets you in the mood to get into work and sort stuff out!
What was your best business decision?
Opening our first restaurant on a shopping complex next to big boys like Wagamama and Frankie and Benny's. It was an incredibly arrogant move for a first time restaurant, but it paid off!
And the worst?
Being too trusting and not reading the small print.
What piece of advice would you give to those looking to climb the rungs in the business?
Work hard and use your initiative. If you see a job that needs doing, do it; if you see a gap that needs filling, fill it. The people that do well in life and the ones that climb the ladder are the ones who don’t need someone to hold their hand through everything.
If you could change one thing about the hospitality industry today, what would it be?
Staffing! Just having more people out there in the UK wishing to work in hospitality would really just make all our lives so much easier.
Bio
Born in Gloucester, Murphy studied performing arts at Hereford College of Arts. His career saw him spend several years running nightclubs and working as a DJ. He's also taught music professionally throughout from his late teens, and performed in a band. He co-founded The Beefy Boys with three of his best friends in 2014. The group won the coveted title of Best Burger at BBQ competition Grillstock in 2014, and later went on to represent the UK at The World Food Championships in Las Vegas. The Beefy Boys launched its first restaurant in 2016 and now has an estate of three sites all based in the Hereford area.
