Tom Kerridge on Why UK Restaurants Are Failing: Rising Costs, VAT the Problem, and the Fight to Save Hospitality
Watch the full documentary: https://youtu.be/LKaEiZ5TE5Q
At Tom Kerridge’s Whitehall restaurant, we explores why UK hospitality is struggling despite strong demand: rising utility bills, food inflation, minimum wage and national insurance increases, and business rates have eroded already thin margins, contributing to three hospitality closures a day across an industry involving 4.5 million people.
Tom explains his hiring priorities and outlines London kitchen pay ranging from over £40k to six figures in senior roles. He argues government support that helped during COVID (furlough, VAT reduction) has vanished, calls for hospitality to have its own dedicated ministry, and criticizes Labour’s communication and lack of action on VAT.
He also discusses how TV and commercial work subsidizes his five restaurants and shares his journey to sobriety at 40 after years of extreme drinking.
00:00 Inside a Busy Service
00:15 Kerridge’s Profit Struggle
01:02 Why Restaurants Are Closing
02:08 Building Great Teams
04:17 Pay and Career Progression
04:55 Costs Crushing Margins
08:29 Hospitality’s Social Impact
13:36 Kitchen Tour and Stations
15:55 Plating the Crab Crumpet
18:06 Making Lobbying Relatable
20:00 Why Not Run For Office
22:01 Fixing Hospitality Policy
23:53 Labour Comms And Leadership
27:06 TV Work Funds Restaurants
29:36 How Cooking TV Changed
31:00 Why Independents Are Struggling
32:22 Quitting Alcohol For Good
36:08 Staying Sober In Hospitality
37:32 Which Minister Can Cook
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