Togather speaks to Sarah Willingham

Togather co-founder Hugo speaks to Sarah Willingham, the well known British entrepreneur who started the Bombay Bicycle Club restaurants, was vital in scaling Pizza Express and became a fixture on our TV screens as a judge on Dragon's Den.

They chat about what attracted Sarah to the Hospitality industry in the first place, what makes businesses stand out and why throwing regular events is so important for businesses.

Hi Sarah, great to be chatting to you. So what was it that made you get into the world of Hospitality originally?

Firstly, it's important to say that if you cut me down the middle I would bleed hospitality.

Like a lot of people I caught the hospitality bug very young. I was 13 when I had my first job in the industry and I've never left! During all those formative years where I just needed a Saturday job and to earn a bit of cash, I wanted to work into in all the places where everyone was going out. It made me feel that that I was involved and absorbing the atmosphere. I absolutely loved it.

I was good at it. I enjoy people. I enjoyed the vibe. And I got great tips, because it was in the days where you got paid a pound an hour and everything was on top. At that stage I didn't think I was going to make long-term living out of it but I perhaps wasn't appreciating how formative these early years would be.

Recently I was working with the government on levelling up, and I was in huge room full of small businesses. I said to everyone - put your hand up if you've ever worked in hospitality. At least 90% of the room put their hand up, and then I said - keep your hand up if you're still working in hospitality. There must be about four people who kept their hands up. Hospitality touches all of us, but I think a lot of people think it's not a place where you can go on and have a successful career - and that's really sad.

I went on to study international business and during my degree. I was working in a pub to earn a bit of cash, and was offered a job working at Planet Hollywood over in France. It was helping to open restaurants and I just loved it. Long story short, I was going to go and work in finance - my God I reckon I would have lasted about three weeks - but Planet Hollywood offered me a job to go work in the head office to look after their European franchises.

I realised this was a fusion of the two things I loved, hospitality and business. I'd really enjoyed my business degree but being able to combine that with the instant gratification of seeing whether someone is happy or not in hospitality was absolutely perfect for me. I can make their night better or worse - just like that.

Ultimately this role led to my next role in international expansion at Pizza Express and I've just never looked back from there. Hospitality is always a good place. It's always a good vibe. We're there to make it look easy so that they can relax and have a really good night - whether it's a great meal, a nightclub, a restaurant or a bar.

So what is it that sets great hospitality providers aside from others?

I have a fairly simple answer to this - you just have to be great at what you do. Whatever it is you're selling - make sure you do the very best version of it.

For an example I've just been to Ibiza last weekend, and I was at high best nightclub in the world for the last three years. Is their food great? No. Are their drinks? Not really - they're fine. But is their nightclub experience great? It's absolutely exceptional. They're not selling their food and drink experience, they're selling their nightclub experience - and it was absolutely perfect.

Now if you're in hospitality or events you know what that thing you're selling is - and you've got to deliver time and time again. As another example, one or our brands (of UK Hospitality Group Nightcap PLC) The Cocktail Club is a bit of bartender's paradise. We sell exceptional drinks and are known for it, so we have to have sure we deliver that experience every single time someone comes into any of the branches, consistently.

If you look at the other end of the scale to this, McDonald's is exceptional at delivering consistent food. Do I think the food is incredible - well not really - but is it exceptional at delivering an repeatable experience anywhere you go? Yes they're absolutely brilliant at it.

You've got to be exceptional at the things you say you're good at. You've got to win the thing you're trying to win.

So to focus in on events, why do you think it's important for businesses to throw events that bring staff together and socialise?

I think throwing regular events is absolutely essential for businesses. I fundamentally don't think they can flourish without positive human interaction and the ability to relax in a comfortable environment as a team. That's how you really start to build relationships.

It doesn't have to be drinks led - it could be food or activity led - but it's an environment where everybody can get together. That's business it's business critical. I think what happened in Covid is that our ability to socialise and see other people was taken away. And everybody was like, hang on a minute, we're pack animals. We've got to be together.

What we saw coming out of Covid was this huge spike in the hospitality industry where everybody went, thank God we're back. You literally just opened your doors and people were pouring through them.