Elystan Street launches prize draw in aid of FOH team
Participants are asked to ‘tip’ either £100 or £250 into a staff fund to be eligible to win prizes including a cookery masterclass for six with Howard; a day out foraging with Howard; a tutored wine tasting for six with sommelier Charlotte Prescot; and a delivered meal for two.
Co-owners Rebecca Mascarenhas and chef Phil Howard are also running ‘At Your Service’ at their two other restaurants, Kitchen W8 in Kensington and Church Road in Barnes.
While it acknowledges the furlough scheme has saved jobs, it says its staff have been struggling to support families, particularly after the ruling that the service charge may not be taken into consideration when calculating the 80% on offer.
A recent newsletter publicising the initiative says: “With rents to pay and families to feed, 60% of the normal wage has just not been enough to help our staff keep going.”
“Now that the third lockdown has struck and with every other avenue now explored we feel like marathon runners who have just hit the wall. So we’re asking for your help to get us over the finishing line.”
Howard and Mascarenhas have already looked to support staff with ‘Friend for Life’ vouchers, a delivery service and dipping into its restaurant's cash reserves.
Launched in 2016, Elystan Street holds a Michelin star and is currently ranked 24 on our list of the UK’s best restaurants.
