The hospitality sector has been hit incredibly hard by the COVID-19 crisis. Restaurants, pubs and hotels have stood empty for months as the government battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus. While consumers mourn the closure of their beloved restaurants, business owners and their staff find themselves navigating uncharted waters with the primary aim of staying afloat.

We are delighted to host acclaimed London restaurateur, Rebecca Mascarenhas, owner of four restaurants across South West London – Elystan Street, Kitchen W8 (both of which boast a Michelin star) Church Roadand Home SW15. Since starting her business in 1986, Rebecca has become known as the queen of the smart neighbourhood restaurant scene, combining elegant dining with a down-to-earth ambience, where the staff, and clientele, know your name. Rebecca has also been a trailblazer in adopting sustainable and eco-conscious practices (Rebecca was one of the very first to ditch plastic straws in her restaurants) with a focus on exceptional seasonal British food sourced from local farmers and small artisan producers. She appears in the ’Top 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality’ Hall of Fame 2020.

In this talk, Rebecca will share her personal story of her career highs and lows, and how she became a pioneer in establishing neighbourhood restaurants that met the needs of residents wanting delicious food locally. The last 12 months have been the most challenging to date, and we will hear about Rebecca’s innovative approaches to mitigating the impact of the crisis for her highly skilled workforce and for her fragile supply chain – from foraging specialists to fishermen reliant on high-end restaurants for their business.

Her team’s resilience, creativity and ingenuity in trialling new concepts that continue to nurture their loyal clientele has taught them lessons in what really matters in hospitality. As we look ahead to the reopening of the London restaurant scene with cautious optimism, Rebecca will offer her views on how the industry – and consumer behaviour – is likely to have changed in the wake of the covid crisis.

DATE:Wednesday 24th March 2021

TIME:1:15 — 2:00pm

VENUE:Zoom (link sent once registered)

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