Rick Stein on the Realities of the Restaurant Industry
The renowned chef Rick Stein shared insights with Graeme Green about his experiences on Masterchef, critiques of his 'Padstein' initiative, and reflections on Christmas memories.
Childhood Christmas Memories
Among all the Christmas gifts Rick Stein received as a child, one stood out. “One year, I was given a push-pedal car,” he recalls. “I was still tiny, and we were living in the Cotswolds. You sat in the car and pushed the two pedals, and went round and round the sitting room in it. I loved it.” These simpler times contrast with his present-day hopes.
Current Industry Challenges
Now, Stein hopes for a more practical gift, not from Santa but from Keir Starmer — a moratorium on VAT to aid the struggling hospitality sector. He notes, “80,000 jobs have been lost in hospitality this year. Things aren’t going well in our particular part of the industry.”
Views on Taxation and Industry Impact
“I’m trying to be reasonable about it. I know stuff has to be paid for. What the government is trying to do, I guess, is to increase the tax situation by growth, but doing so by putting National Insurance up just stopped growth. If you’re faced with ever-increasing taxes, you’re going to cut back on labour wherever you can. You’re certainly not going to hire people unless you absolutely need to.”
Importance of Hospitality to the Economy
“I appreciate that the country is not in a good state, but it seems to me a complete ‘home goal’ to target parts of the economy that are not well-equipped to deal with it. Hospitality is always taken as slightly second-rate way of the national wealth, but tourism and hospitality are so important.”
Rick Stein stresses the vital economic role of hospitality and advocates for supportive tax policies to sustain jobs in the struggling sector.