Michelin Star eatery rolls out four-day working week ‘to fuel creative flair’
The Scotsman Food and Drink’s Chef of the Year launches new strategy, writes Sean Murphy
An Edinburgh restaurant that is run by The Scotsman Food and Drink’s Chef of the Year is introducing a four-day working week for its 20strong team.
Paul Kitching’s restaurant with rooms, 21212, which recently retained its Michelin star for the ninth year in a row, is launching the strategy next month in an attempt to put its team’s work life balance first, reducing hours while maintaining their salaries.
Situated on Royal Terrace, the award-winning venue is hoping the change will “fuel the team’s creative flair” and help them to “produce dishes better than ever before”.
Co-owner and chef Paul Kitching who took home the Best Chef trophy at this year’s Scotsman Food and Drink awards, said: “This is a tough industry and we thrive on the energy and passion behind our chefs.
“We are about constant innovation and re-invention of dishes and the creativity needed for this is incredibly important. We believe that by reducing our days that this creativity will grow and we will be able to push our menu and dishes to another level.
“I am really looking forward to the future and to see how this change is going to see our restaurant flourish further.”
21212’s restaurant will be open from Wednesday to Saturday and closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Their rooms will remain open for seven days a week to welcome guests from all over the world.
Kitching, who opened 21212 in 2009 with his partner Katie, added: “This change comes at a brilliant time for us as we have just received our Michelin star for the ninth consecutive year. Reducing our days to four is by no means a way of scaling back, but a way for us to improve and grow further as we reach our tenth year on the Royal Terrace.
“Our rooms will remain open seven days a week so 3 Royal Terrace will continue to be busy welcoming guests throughout the week.”
Last month the Trades Union Congress (TUC) released a report calling for the four-day week to be adopted across the UK, with general secretary Frances O’grady stating that technological advances should mean that “employees receive the same level of pay for working a shorter week”.