In Episode 18 of The Business of Restaurants Podcast, I chat with legendary  UK chef Phil Howard.  Phil is a co-proprietor for the Michelin-starred Kitchen W8, The Ledbury (now closed), Church Road in Barnes and Union in La Plagne Montalbert, a ski resort and village in France. He also has interests in the London restaurants Lorne and Perilla, and is an investor in The Wild Room, which supplies foraged ingredients, mushrooms and truffles to the restaurant trade. In 2011, he picked up a Catey Award for Restaurateur of the Year (and rightly so!).  

In 2016, Phil sold The Square and now focuses entirely on Elystan Street, which offers a more relaxed menu in a casual setting. Despite this more laidback approach (although Phil's definition of 'laidback' may differ to a lot of other people's!), Elystan Street was awarded a Michelin star just a year after opening. Since then, he has also opened another restaurant called Church Road in Barnes with his business partner Rebecca Mascarenhas.  

I chat with Phil about his early career in the industry, working under Marco Pierre White, getting his big break as his first head chef role, The success of The Square, winning Michelin Stars, the importance of having business partners in business, one of the biggest mistakes made in his early career, the importance of good recruitment, opening Elystan Street, running multiple restaurants and and much much more!  

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