How I Got Here: Raquel de Oliveira
Why did you get into restaurants?
Like most people in hospitality, I fell into it. I got a job washing glasses at a private member’s club in Paris in my early 20s and the waiters started to teach me the trade and I caught the bug… the rest is history.
Tell us something you wish you had been told at the start of your career?
That hospitality is something innate, and not something that we need to go to an Ecole Hôtelière to learn.
What’s your favourite restaurant or group of restaurants (besides your own)?
I really love Kricket, especially the one in Soho. The food and the atmosphere there always makes me happy. And the team are great and super friendly.
What motivates you?
My team. The majority been with me for a very long time, others just started, but I love seeing all of them grow and spread their wings.
What keeps you up at night?
Well, at the moment, what doesn’t? To be in a situation that we actually have punters willing to spend their money like never before, but we cannot serve them quickly enough because we don’t have sufficient staff or trained staff is heart breaking.
Which colleague, mentor or employer has had the biggest influence on your approach to the restaurant business?
Eric Garnier. He was my front of house director when he opened Bank Restaurant in 1997. To this day, I still follow his rules of service and I still visualise him gliding through the dining room. Every time I have a new team member, I put my Eric Garnier hat on and look after them just the way he looked after me all those years ago.
Worst business decision?
Opening a bakery.
Best business decision?
Closing the bakery.
How do you let off steam?
By going to the gym and pushing prowlers around.
What’s your signature dish to cook at home?
Chicken pastille (recipe from Honey & Co) with yoghurt roasted cauliflower.
What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
When my son was two years old (he’s now 30), I put him on my back and travelled around Europe, just the two of us. It was amazing.
What boxset are you currently watching?
Just finished Mare of East Town. Absolutely loved it.
What was your dream job growing up?
Marine biologist.
What piece of advice would you give to those looking to climb the rungs in the business?
Be kind to your colleagues. And be kind to yourself. This a hard industry and we sometimes forget to look after ourselves and others.
If you could change one thing about the restaurant industry today, what would it be?
We became fixated on roll outs and selling and every decision is taken based on what the profit and loss will look like and how attractive it will be. I wish we could remember that one of the things that makes restaurants special is the love and passion we invest in it, not only the money.
Bio
Born in Brazil, de Oliveira quit university where she was doing a computer science degree ("I should have stuck with it, could have been Bill Gates") to come to Europe to learn languages. She took her first hospitality role working as head waitress at Bank Restaurant. She later moved into general management, and has worked at a number of establishments including Lawn Restaurant and Bar and Tuttons Restaurant and Bar. She joined Ceviche and Andina restaurants as managing director in 2012. The group, which was acquired by Rosa’s Thai Cafe founders Alex and Saiphin Moore last year following a management led buy-out deal, recently relaunched Andina in Spitalfields, having closed its original Shoreditch site as a result of the pandemic. It has also opened a late night cocktail bar and taqueria in the space below Andina, called Bar Mistura.
