Service Charge Debate: A view From the Inside

As a time of year when one of the most important questions in our generation is being considered and debated- remaining or leaving Europe- something rather trivial for all of us is getting some interest in the media:

Shall we force restaurants to include service charge in their pricing?

I have been thinking about this for a while and having ran a restaurant in a country where service is included (France) I am getting quite worried about the impact on employees rather than employers those changes will ultimately have; unless we look in depth about how it might affect peoples lives, things should not be rushed just because a spoilt food pundit is having an existential tantrum. 

At the moment, “his” annoyance of having an extra line on a restaurant bill adding 12.5% service charge is the main problem. One could wonder why this has not been factorized already in the price of the meal but I think a lot more thinking has to be put into this to decide ultimately if this arrangement needs to be changed.

So this what currently happens in a British restaurant: 

An employer usually pays his employees minimum wages per hour and then allows a Tronc master to distribute usually between 90 to 100% of the total discretionary service charge collected via credit card, cheque or cash payments (which is 12.5% of a total restaurant bill ex VAT). 

A tronc scheme is something serious and follows strict guidance from HMRC. 

A tronc master who is usually elected by employees (who have probably left long time ago) decides who earns what (as point or percentage of the amount collected) and distribute the money accordingly. 

Because HMRC accepts that service charge is not a safe income, there is no NI contribution on the amount paid from the Tronc and a fixed % on income regardless of the amount. It is a great benefit for an employee who can receive a share of income tax discounted. But again, for small earners who only collect a tiny portion of service charge, one way or the other does not make much difference. From the employer side, the saving from using this method is quite small.

However, for those who collect a big chunk of the Tronc, this is like earning your salary in Panama.

In fact, there is no maximum as to how much you can pay yourself from the tronc.

Say, if a restaurant collects £20,000 of Tronc money per month and the Tronc master decides to keep half of that for himself; there is nothing stopping him from doing so. Imagine earning more than £120,000 per year (on top of your minimum wage) only taxed at around 20%. Not bad.

There is no arguing that this arrangement is a massive carrot for top people in a restaurant and has helped to retain and motivate many of them and ultimately helped to make this country one of the most hospitable in Europe.

On the other hand, France who abolished “payment á la piece” many years ago, things are very different there.

Based on 35 hours a week, a minimum wage for a French waiter is equivalent to a British one (just over €9 euros per hours x35 against £7.20 x40); cost of National Insurance plus many other things pushes the price of employment to almost €18 an hour.

This makes an impossible mission for an employer to entice staff by offering them the opportunity to earn more by selling more; to earn more by being kinder to guests; to earn more by being flexible with guests…etc

Some might say that all of this should be standard- but sadly it is not the case.

Go and grab a lunch in a Paris brasserie and you’ll quickly understand that when there are no carrots, service suffers.

Employees are locked in their “service inclus” and quickly come to the conclusion that an ok service will pay them as much as an outstanding service.

The system currently in place here in UK is intelligent and works for both employers and employees. So as long as a Tronc system is not abused by greed - things should stay exactly as they are. 

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Disappearing items of the classic English dining table

Personally I was a little confused when asked to write a little article about disappearing tablewares, as all of the items listed below of course feature as standard on my domestic dining table. But alas, apparently it is true, in some parts of the modern world, progressive people have begun to forget the delicacies and details of elegant tablewares. Alarmingly even the toast rack, that essential part of breakfast equipage is now under threat. 

So here is a little round-up of my favourite essential tablewares, apparently in decline, that make dining a more effortless and elegant experience. 

My advice: If when restoring yourself at any of London's more fashionable establishments, any of these items do not by default appear at your table, politely ask to speak to the manager and with a perturbed expression, demand an immediate explanation as to what on earth is going on.

Sifter spoon

For sifting rough sugar lumps, which wasn’t as refined as we know it today, so in quite large crystals. 

Grape scissors - A small pair of scissors to elegantly detach a branch from a large bunch without any vulgar pulling and tearing and risk of dropping grapes. Also occasionally comes with matching grape dish.

Berry spoon - a tiny ornately decorated spoon for the enjoyment of specific berries.

Marrow spoon - long like an apple corer for scraping out hot marrow from roasted bones.

Chocolate cup - an elegant, delicate cup often with a lid (my own theory is to prevent skin forming). Chocolate was a serious luxury and taken on very special occasions, hand prepared from precious cocoa powder or even raw beans, and served as a dessert.

Grapefruit knife

A small knife with a serrated edge, specifically for tackling grapefruit. For years I thought this was a miniature bread knife and used it for rolls.

Toast rack

Designed to present warm toast elegantly. But by all means, chuck it on a plate, loose and messy. Be my guest.

Cutlet holder  

Like a knife handle with an open clasp and thumbscrew clamp for holding chops and cutlets, saving fingers from unsightly stains. I cannot be alone in thinking 'Tayyabs'.

Creamer

Usually shaped as a cow, with removable back plate, tail handle and spout in its mouth. One of my favourites, and still on the the tables in Le Gavroche if I’m not wrong.

Napkin ring

This is an interesting one - napkin rings were originally used to identify the napkins of a household between weekly wash days, very typical for a house member to re-use their napkin each day, and store them in their specific rings marked with their initial.

Cloche

(from the French for ‘bell’) a large silver dome used to cover dishes to keep them warm on the way from kitchens often large distances away from dining rooms. Now one of the most recognised and theatrically remembered items of functional tableware. Can happily say silver cloches are in use every service at Gauthier Soho.

Sauce spoon - similar to a dessert spoon, but flatter, with indent for draining oil & fat. Often placed alongside a fish knife.

Presentation plates - An ornately decorated plate of the highest quality, typically porcelain but often in silver, gilt metal or even gold plated, remaining on the table beneath functional plates throughout the meal as a kind of placemat. Still in use today at some very grand restaurants. 

Pastry Fork

A small fork/knife combination, designed to make the navigation of delicate pastries such as millefeuille that much simpler.

(Forks - this is where it can get a little ridiculous. There were specific forks for Asparagus, Lettuce, Lemon, pickle, cheese, cold meat, beef, and sardine to name a few.)

Silent Butler

A miniature dustpan & brush used by a butler to sweep a table between courses. 

Wine coaster

Silver, with mahogany or walnut bases and felt underneath. Used to prevent unsightly stains from red wine drips.

Presse de la Canard

I’ve saved the best til last. A large device for extracting the juices from an entire cooked duck. The dish ‘canard a la presse’  is prepared tableside with various parts of the bird used for different courses. In service to this day with panache at the lovely Otto’s.

Being in Europe is a bit like going down the pub.

When you go to the pub, you join a club.

Lots of different people are members of this club.

There might be a managing director of a successful company. There might be someone unemployed.

There will probably be lots of people from all walks of life, Some of them rich, some of them poor.

All offering different levels of input.

Some offering advice, some offering generosity. 

Some offering practical or physical help. 

Some offering a shoulder to cry on. 

Some offering the most interesting conversation. 

Some offering jokes. 

Some offering music or songs. 

Some offering gossip. 

Some you might even have special little arrangements with.

One person does a bit of plumbing for you. Another you helped clear out their garage recently. Another gives piano lessons to your children.

Members lucky enough to have succeeded in their chosen paths will from time-to-time find themselves buying drinks for the others perhaps less fortunate than themselves. 

This can be expensive. 

Those members accept that, and do so gladly, because what the less fortunate can offer is not always financial.

The club will also have a few rules. 

No glasses outside after 9pm. No pets. No ordering from certain sections of the bar.

You might not agree with them all, in fact some you might find annoying.

Stifling. ludicrous even.

But being a member of this club means you have your say and be able to voice your opinions, maybe get the rules changed to suit you better.

What you get from this club is community. companionship. Strength in numbers. Solidarity. Support.

Now, if you suddenly start to feel that you buy too many drinks for people, or you don’t like the rules, then you can leave the pub.

You can go outside, buy your own drinks, sit on your own, and drink by yourself. 

With no support, no conversation, no-one to talk to. 

No friends to sort out that bit of plumbing.

No friends to help with the piano lessons.

No help, no jokes, no friends.

A loner. 

The current E.U. Brexit campaign seems entirely based on a quite selfish, xenophobic and often racist argument. 

How much we get out of Europe financially? How many immigrants we have to put up with? It’s frightened and stupid.

We should think of the EU like going down the pub. 

Not everyone is as successful as others, some of the rules are frustrating and sometimes you find yourself buying a few more rounds than some. 

I’d rather be part of the community, with all its faults, than the selfish lonely bloke, outside, drinking on his own.

British Liver Trust Fundraising Dinner

We welcomed the British Liver Trust to Gauthier Soho in order to raise awareness of liver disease and to fundraise for the charity, for which Alexis is a patron.

Liver disease is the fifth biggest killer in the United Kingdom and the only disease where the number of deaths is increasing rather than decreasing each year so we were more than happy to host the dinner for such a worthwhile cause.

Thank you to Audrey & Melissa for organising the event and for drawing attention to an important cause.

To find out more about the disease please click here to visit The British Liver Trust website.

Winter Menu 2016

It’s one of the mildest winters I can remember, with produce appearing to have a life of its own! I wrote a blog post about this here.

I’ve been really inspired by the fresh mild weather this January, and my new winter à la carte menu is hopefully reflecting this.
 

There are wonderful wild yellow chanterelle and trumpet mushrooms, the best I’ve seen for a while, paired with port wine. This season’s excellent black truffle is balanced within a light tortellini with pancetta and a not-too-reduced pork jus, and superb halibut - some of the most spectacular fish I’ve ever come across - is baked simply with Meyer lemon and olive oil.

I do hope you will come and see us to try some of these super dishes before spring is upon us.

Please view the menu here. 

Book here or telephone 0207 494 3111.

Best wishes,

Alexis

Duck - Apicius Rubbed Breast & Leg Feuilleté, Braised Long Kentish Carrots, Glazed Young Turnips in Duck Jus, Apicius Scented Duck Jus.

Fruits & Vegetables Pot au Feu - Lightly Spiced Apple & Quince, Port Reduction. 

Golden Louis XV - Dark Chocolate Mousse, Crunchy Praline.



Tableware: ‘Arris’ by Wedgwood UK

Something weird is happening on menus

Something weird is happening on menus - how can we keep to seasonal classics when the seasons themselves have changed?

It’s already January, and here I am introducing my new winter menu. I have been creating winter menus for more than 10 years now and I have never struggled finding inspiration in the abundant varieties of local ingredients at this time of year.

Delicious fondant salsify cooked in heavily buttered chicken stock; braised celeriac in honey and spice to compliment a fat grain-fed pigeon or cooking quince in rum caramel to enhance their deep flavour.

Yes winter, and especially in January, is the kind of time where chefs across the country can fall back on dyed-in-the-wool classic combinations and flavour pairings, digging deep into their tried and tested toolkits to excite menus which could otherwise be quite boring when you remain loyal to sourcing ingredients as nature’s flow dictates. 

But wait. Something is happening. Things are changing -  dramatically.

Yesterday, the first Welsh asparagus were on the market - usually this would not happen naturally until late April. And last week wild garlic was appearing everywhere in woods around Britain - also something more suited to early spring. Morels mushrooms are in abundance and am told that wild Carros strawberries (from the Nice region of France) are sweet enough to be eaten! 

Abnormal? Well yes it is, at least for me.

There was a time, I thought, where things would be coming out of the ground in season to be paired with something which also was in season: new season lamb and wild garlic; asparagus and morel, green peas and purple artichokes

This year, do I need to start thinking introducing asparagus in my winter menu?  Perhaps peach in my spring menu? Blood orange in Summer?

I’m no climate scientist, but I can tell you that there is nothing familiar about seasonal cooking in 2016. All the classic pairings wild garlic & new season spring lamb; red cabbage & grouse; Williams Pear & Venison are becoming harder and harder to sync.

Maybe this is just the way things are to be now? Maybe it is the job of the chef to constantly find new pairings, new combinations and flavours. To be inventive. Maybe old combinations like asparagus and morels in April are a thing of the past. Maybe we have to trust that nature will find a way to produce its offerings with new harmonies to match the "weird new" seasons.

All I know for sure is, nature is rewriting menus.

Our favourite restaurant menus ever

We're unashamed menu fans here, and love nothing more than poring over a grand old magnum opus of some ancient long-gone restaurant. Probably terribly naff these days, but what the hell. Naff is cool. 

Here, we've gathered together a little collection of our personal favourites. 

(Photographed from our own collection)

Oustau de Baumaniere, Baux de Provence, France: 1990

Oustau de Baumaniere, Baux de Provence, France: 1990 So wide you need to share it to read it. From the L’Oasis school of ostentation. Commissioned illustration.

Jamin, Paris, France: 1991

Jamin, Paris, France: 1991 Reflects everything Joel Robuchon stands for. Refined, smart, small, precise, thoughtful. Pensive. Confident.

Maison Troisgros, Roanne, France: 1988

Maison Troisgros, Roanne, France: 1988 Beautiful, though I think if you did this today you would be taken to court and charged with pretentiousness. Commissioned psuedo-surrealism fr watercolour illustration, Conqueror paper (illustration by Michel Granger, of Jean Michel Jarre fame).

Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo, Monaco: 1995

Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo, Monaco: 1995  Faux baroque, embossed card. Possibly the antithesis of what is fashionable in London today, and quite the reason to love it. In 2025 it will probably look very similar. I hope.

Fouquet’s, Paris, France: 1990

Fouquet’s, Paris, France: 1990 The most famous restaurant in the Champs-Élysées. If you want to create a brasserie anywhere in the world, this is first place to look. At the time, more crazily different ingredients than any restaurant in the world. Classic 80s Paris.

Pharmacy (Notting Hill Gate), London: 1999 (est)

Pharmacy (Notting Hill Gate), London: 1999 (est) A great example of ‘trends’ in menu (and restaurant) design. Seems so dated now! Fun. Doomed.

Taillevent, Paris, France: 1991

Taillevent, Paris, France: 1991 THE menu. Spirit of Escoffier. Completely French wine list. So snobby, not even all of France is allowed. 100% Bordeaux, Bourgognes and a few Côtes du Rhône! We love this one so much, it's hung in the corner of our Grand Salon at Gauthier Soho.

L’Oasis, La Napoule, nr. Cannes, France: 1994

L’Oasis, La Napoule, nr. Cannes, France: 1994 Massive, (almost 1m2!). Unashamed in its vulgarity. Anyone who needs a “Caravane de Desserts” is not here to appear frugal. Classic flash Cote d’Azur.

Scott’s, London: 2005

Scott’s, London: 2005 The quintessential London menu. Unfussy, clever, straight to the point. User friendly. Also could easily be The Ivy.

Harry’s Bar, London: 2003

Harry’s Bar, London: 2003 The real private club menu. Complicated, all in Italian with no translation, super expensive but refined to the extreme. Austere.