Meet the woman trying to fix hospitality’s toxic kitchen culture
Can a company backed by some of hospitality’s biggest names push the industry to clean up its act, asks Carys Sharkey This autumn some of the most influential figures in London’s hospitality scene gathered to discuss the issues hitting the industry. But for once, cost pressures weren’t top of the agenda. Instead, chefs and restaurateurs [...]
London's hospitality industry has long been plagued by toxic kitchen culture, with long hours, intense pressure, and blurred lines between work and social life. Carys Sharkey reports on an event hosted by Verifair, a company backed by influential figures in the industry, aimed at addressing these issues. Verifair's biennial report reveals that over half of respondents (52%) had experienced inappropriate, unsafe, or unacceptable behavior in the last year.
Justine Murphy, Verifair's founder, is an insider who spent over 30 years in the industry and witnessed the cracks and crevices talented workers fall into. She wants to make responsible employers visible and create ongoing accountability around how people are treated. Verifair assesses restaurants, creating a reference point for employees and helping to raise the bar on working conditions.
The company's advisory board includes renowned chefs such as Jeremy Chan, Chris D’Sylva, and Sally Abé, who emphasizes the need for conscious effort to raise the bar in restaurants. Murphy believes that responsible employers deserve recognition, and their people deserve a voice, as the industry faces mounting pressure and control issues.
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