The Gold Service Scholarship 2025 launched on 2 September at the Corinthia London with more than 200 people gathering to discuss the key issues impacting the hospitality sector.
Speaking at the event, Clare Smyth, chef patron of three-Michelin-starred Core by Clare Smyth said: “We don’t value service enough in the UK, I actually get emotional when I see how our front of house touches each table. It’s incredible.”
In an interview, prior to the launch event, Kerridge, owner of Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the Corinthia London and the UK’s only two-Michelin-starred pub the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, added: “The kitchen is the engine room, but front of house is vital if you want people to come back to your restaurant.”
Eugenio Pirri, Dorchester Collection, CEO, added: “In the deluxe market, high-end luxury is a given, it’s the individual service that makes a difference and makes an establishment stand out over another.”
They were joined by social media sensation Jesse Burgess (aka TopJaw), Maybourne Hotel Group CEO Marc Socker, legendary restaurant critics Fay Maschler and Tom Parker Bowles.
The Gold Service Scholarship is open to those aged 22-28 working full-time in the UK in front-of-house food and beverage service. During the competition, entrants will be assessed on their front of house skills, from table setting and menu knowledge to practical food and beverage service skills.
They will benefit from the mentorship of top hospitality professionals, with trustees including Alastair Storey, founder and chair of WSH; former deputy master of the Royal Household Edward Griffiths; managing director of the Corinthia London Thomas Kochs; Lydia Forte, group director of food and beverage at Rocco Forte Hotels; legendary maitre d’s Silvano Giraldin and Sergio Rebecchi; managing director of WSH Restaurants Alessandro Fasoli; and former Berkeley hotel general manager Knut Wylde.
All who make it to the quarter and semi-finals will also receive professional development workshops and training. Winning finalists will benefit from educational trips to the EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland where they will undertake a bespoke four-day course, as well as a study trip with Graham’s Port to Porto and the Douro valley, and automatic membership to the competition’s Team Gold alumni network.
They will also benefit from the opportunity to stage at leading restaurants in the UK, including Core by Clare Smyth and The Ritz, and work a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
The Scholar will additionally receive a bespoke programme of learning opportunities, with the chance to stage at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Hong Kong, an overseas Rocco Forte Hotel, the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray, work at a state visit, and a trip to Champagne with Laurent Perrier.
The closing date for applications is 1 October 2024, with a series of quarter and semi-finals to follow. The final will take place at the Corinthia London in January 2025.
The 2025 Scholar will be announced in February at an awards reception at Claridge’s hotel in London.
Front-of-house professionals aged 22-28 working full-time in the UK in food and beverage service are encouraged to apply here ahead of the 1 October deadline.