Vivo, Islington, London
Brothers Will and Ben Thompson launched Vivo, an all-day Italian restaurant and their first hospitality business, in Islington at the beginning of October.
Described as 'a vibrant new Italian bakery and restaurant', Vivo is a 50-cover venue complete with 35-cover roof terrace on Upper Street. Interestingly, the Thompson's used an innovative 'cook-off' to employ their head chef.
They staged a day-long cook-off in December to employ Alessandro De Sanctis. "It has always amazed me how restaurants open and a lot of them don't even trade-test the staff they are going to get in the kitchen," Will Thompson told BigHospitality. "It comes down to what they actually produce as opposed to how good they are in an interview.
"Our biggest concern has been staff retention," he explained. "We have got to know Alessandro well since 1 February when he came on board and he fits the bill perfectly for what we are looking for."
Vivo, Islington, London - 9 October