‘We can’t let tourism boom be just a spike’
THE joint owner of Dylan’s has spoken about the growth of tourism in North Wales, recruitment and whether they would ever build a fourth restaurant.
David Evans is convinced that the region is poised to achieve “great things” as a destination, with its stay and food offer now matching the area’s natural beauty.
He is also confident about the future of Dylan’s, with its restaurant and retail side performing well after overcoming “challenges” in Llandudno, including a 500% business rates hike.
Like many in the sector he sees recruitment as a major issue going forward and said the business could have taken on another 30 staff in the summer if the right applicants had been available.
On future plans, he spoke about a fourth restaurant and said locations had been looked at.
Dylan’s currently has restaurants in Menai Bridge, Criccieth and Llandudno and a food production site in Llangefni.
Mr Evans, who runs the three-restaurant chain with business partner Robin Hodgson, said: “North Wales is now seen as a great place to stay and to eat. We are proud of our part in that.
“Tourism can create a sound economic base for the region.
“We all need to work to ensure this is not just a spike. The conditions are ripe to make a permanent shift for the region – we can achieve great things.
“This needs investment though – investment in infrastructure.”
The other issue facing the industry is recruitment.
Mr Evans said: “We had 180 at peak summer but we could have done with 20 or 30 more and could not recruit enough staff.
“It is the same challenge across the industry.
“If we had had more staff we could have served more people because at times over the summer we were turning 100 to 150 people away a day.
“We had extra space to accommodate people but not enough staff.”
Dylan’s has recruited an executive chef, a development chef and training staff to help to ensure they keep developing the workforce and helping with retention.
They are also changing the policy for kitchen staff so they only work four days a week.
He said: “We want to run this right through 2019 – even over the summer. People are working long hours so we need to ensure there is a work/life balance.”
Mr Evans added: “We do well with retention but the issue is getting enough people.”
Dylan’s is also looking to a new potential source of talent – HMP Berwyn in Wrexham.
Mr Evans said the prison should be seen as a resource with a potential workforce there that could help address the recruitment problem.
This has seen the company help set up the Custodial Pie Corporation with prisoners at the jail.
Staff have also gone in to help with training. They now hope that next year the first former prisoner could join the Dylan’s team.
As well as supporting the restaurants, Mr Evans said staff can help drive forward the growing retail side of the brand.
He said: “We have had further investment of £100k in Llangefni to expand the production kitchen that supplies the restaurants and runs the retail operations.
“We have signed up with M&S to take up our brown sauce and are in talks with other major retailers.”
The most recent restaurant is the Llandudno site, opened in May last year.
Unlike Menai Bridge and Criccieth it did not enjoy instant success, but Mr Evans said they are now establishing themselves in the town.
He said: “Llandudno has been a challenge but it is contributing now and we have a good young kitchen team in place there.
“It had been a slow burner compared to other sites. We were also hit with a 500% increase in rates which doesn’t help.”
He added: “We have never considered leaving the site.”
On future expansion, he said: “We have three very busy restaurants so we don’t currently have plans for a fourth restaurant site.”