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A London restaurant is offering new chefs a £1000 ($1340) golden hello in an effort to tackle the city's chefs shortage.
Gauthier, helmed by French chef Alexis Gauthier, has promised chefs the figure as a signing on bonus if they pass their trial and commit to working there for a year. Chefs will also have access to a research and development fund of up to £250 a month that can be used for eating out expenses and staff trips.
Speaking to Eater London, Gauthier said a “toxic cocktail” of high living costs, Brexit and other factors was making the UK capital less attractive to young chefs at a time when the city has probably never had a better gastronomic offering.
“London is not such an exotic destination for chefs anymore,” says Gautier. “It is the best place on earth to eat but it’s a very expensive to live. Chefs now have to think twice before moving to London because often they are not well remunerated.”
Alexis Gauthier
Gauthier says he has faced skepticism from an unnamed Michelin-starred chef, who told him he was “too generous,” be he believes restaurants have to do more to attract committed staff and that the funds are there.
“It’s easy to find a head chef but it’s different when it comes to commis chefs and chefs de partie. It has to be an exciting proposition financially … We need to pay the staff better; there is a lot of money in this industry,” he says.
See the job advert, posted over on The Caterer, below and have a listen to what restaurateur Danny Meyer had to say about eliminating tipping in his restaurants as a way to stop culinary grads abandoning the kitchen for front of house.
