Rick Stein: “Think restaurants are a way to print money? You try it!”
Insights from Rick Stein
Chef Rick Stein shares his thoughts with Graeme Green on MasterChef, local criticism, and the current state of the hospitality industry. He recalls his favorite childhood gift and reflects on the challenges of running restaurants today.
Memories of Simpler Times
Among all the Christmas presents Rick Stein received as a child, one stood out vividly.
“One year, I was given a push-pedal car. I was still tiny, and we were living in the Cotswolds. You sat in it, pushed the two pedals, and went round and round the sitting room. I loved it.”
It was a small joy from an easier time, far from the struggles of today’s restaurant industry.
Challenges in Hospitality
Decades later, Stein hopes for a different kind of holiday gift — not from Santa, but from the government.
“A moratorium on VAT would be good,”
he says, emphasizing the urgent need for relief within Britain’s struggling hospitality sector.
According to Stein, about 80,000 jobs were lost in hospitality this year alone. He describes the climate as deeply challenging for businesses like his.
On Government Policy
“I’m trying to be reasonable about it. I know stuff has to be paid for. The government wants to grow the economy by raising taxes, but increasing National Insurance has just stopped growth.”
Stein warns that mounting taxes push owners to reduce labor and hesitate to hire new staff. He believes such policies are misguided when applied to an industry ill-equipped to absorb more costs.
The Value of Hospitality
For Stein, hospitality and tourism remain essential to the national economy, even if they are often overlooked.
“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 a slightly second-rate part of the national wealth, but tourism and hospitality are so important.”
Author’s Summary
Rick Stein calls for government backing and fair policies to revive a vital hospitality industry he believes is unfairly burdened and underappreciated.