Staff briefing

What makes you happy? Is it the smell of freshly cut grass on a summer’s day, defluffing the tumble dryer (a favourite of Margaret Thatcher’s apparently), crisp, starched, clean bed sheets (a personal favourite of mine) or getting all hygge with a good book?

We’ve always believed the simple mantra at CODE of, “happy staff equals happy customers.” It sounds so simple, doesn’t it; so obvious. But how do you get happy staff in the first place? It’s something we constantly think about at CODE - we’re all too well aware that people work in this amazing industry for more than just the pay cheque that they take home at the end of the day.

We’ve published our second annual Happiness in Hospitality report; you’ll find it with this issue of the Quarterly. In it, we look at workplace happiness, mental health and wellbeing in hospitality, to try to understand what motivates us and what the industry wants - be it flexible working hours, better communication with management, more supplier trips or a proper changing room.

It makes for a fascinating read and we hope, like last year, it acts as catalyst for operators to continue to look to improve our industry.

As always, thanks for your continued support.

Adam Hyman

Founder, CODE @AdamMHyman

As Adam says above, happiness is such an important factor in hospitality, for both the provider and the recipient. I was interested to find out what some of our hardest-working professionals own that makes them truly happy – their favourite object. You can find out what they chose on page 15, although is a dog an object? Discuss.

Happiness also figures big in the business model of Big Mamma’s restaurants – diners in a queue for more than a few minutes want to know that good times await inside, and there are queues at Gloria and Circolo Popolare. You can read more about founder Victor Lugger’s motivation and strategy on page 10.

Also in this edition of CODE Quarterly you’ll find a thorough examination of developments in Manchester’s dining scene. It’s not so long ago that the city’s lack of a Michelin-starred restaurant was all anyone talked about but, as Chloë Hamilton reports, that’s all changing. Plus, although I haven’t stayed in any of London’s newest hotels, I can show you what the bedrooms look like, on page 39.

As ever, please let me know what’s on your mind or what you’d like to see in the next Quarterly: lisa@codehospitality.co.uk

Lisa Markwell Editor, CODE @HoldsKnifeLikePen

What’s hot

Paris brest

The correct ratio of cream to pastry, imho

Chicken fat

Crisped on ice cream, melted into noodles… We’re into it

Open returns

So many great new restaurants and hotels in Yorkshire, it needs more than a weekend

Game

Is this the year it really goes mainstream?

What’s not

Seat wars

Having to find your own after you’ve ordered and collected your food

Fast vegetables

Lewis Hamilton endorses vegan burgers… so what exactly does F1 do to protect the planet?

Recipe repeats

Food on TV is too dumbed down. Discuss

Throwing shade

Black rectangles on our instagrams is, we finally admit, annoying