“It’s easy to tell when we’re getting it right in the restaurant. It’s written all over customers’ faces. A satisfied smile can often tell you as much as a customer survey. As Restaurant Manager at Happy Valley Racecourse, I’m ultimately responsible for the satisfaction we provide.

There’s a great deal to the role. The restaurant is a complex operation with the highest standards of service.  As well as providing daily sittings, we sometimes run large-scale catering events at other venues with other departments in the business. Planning, co-ordinating and delivering all these different elements, making sure we channel the team’s different strengths and passions at the right points, is my responsibility. I make the decisions, set the direction and adjust things when we need to adapt to a new challenge.

I’ve had the best possible preparation for the responsibility. I’ve been here for over 12 years now. I was an intern in the Club when studying Tourism and Hotel Management, then I started as a waiter after I graduated, worked my way up through the restaurant structure and gradually become a Restaurant Manager. There are always challenges to address in this role. But with this well of experience to draw on, I’m able to find answers to overcome the obstacles.

In my opinion, seeing the world from a customer’s point of view is the secret of good service. Once you can make that leap, you can see their perspective and follow their journey, anticipating how we can improve their experience at every point. That’s what gets customers smiling – knowing that every last detail has been thought about when they’re dining. When that happens, then I start smiling too.”