antidote projects

Our menus have won plenty of awards and plaudits over the years.  Faye Maschler described one of our restaurants as "The reason man invented fire", Tom Parker Bowles described one of our restaurants as having "three of the finest barbecue dishes I’ve eaten in London" and the Evening Standard reviewed one of our openings with the heading "This is food worth getting fat for".   We won TimeOuts 'Best New Gastropub' in 2010 and 'Battle of the Burger' in 2018. 

Utilising our experience and extensive network in both front and back of house and most styles of cuisine, we can:

1. Work with your existing team on a one-off basis to update and improve your current menu with a focus on quality, consistency, costings and specs.
2. Work with your existing team on a regular basis to implement seasonal menus with a focus on quality, consistency, costings and specs.
3. Develop opening menus, hire and train your opening team and follow up with training, coaching and mentoring as needed.

We are experts in our field and our operational know-how, eye for detail and contacts are industry-leading.

Our professionalism, experience and ideas inspire and motivate teams to achieve agreed targets in a way that is sustainable to the on-going and longterm success of the business. 

Our operational support:

1. Will ensure you remain statutory compliant.
2. Looks at ways to increase sales, lower costs and increase profit.
3. Manages your social media, marketing & PR strategy.
4. Includes a weekly or monthly meeting with the directors and/or site-level managers to discuss and delve into financials, GP's, stock results, online reviews, people, standards, training, maintenance, marketing and sales building ideas and ad-hoc matters as they arise.
5. Includes a weekly or monthly appraisal of the business reporting on financials, GP's, stock results, online reviews, social media, people, standards, training, maintenance, marketing and ad-hoc matters as they arise.
6. Includes a weekly or monthly action plan based on ongoing business appraisals and meetings.

Having accurate and timely financial information is key to running any successful business. Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants come in all shapes and sizes as do their supply chains. 

We run businesses with large supply chains which complicates bookkeeping. 

In over a decade of searching, we haven't been able to find an accountancy firm, big or small, that was able to provide invoice management, bookkeeping or production of P&L's more efficient and accurate than the system and network we set up ourselves.

Our comprehensive financial management service includes: 

1. Excel templates for detailed, daily financial record keeping.
2. Indicative P&L's by the 7th of the following month.
3. Final P&L's by the 14th of the following month.
4. A full supplier payment list provided on an agreed date of each month.

If we ever don't meet these obligations you don't pay for that month!

The front line is the bottom line and building a culture starts at the top.

Recruitment, training and communication are key to keeping your team engaged, challenged and motivated. A well trained and motivated team engage positively with your customers (thus building loyalty), reduce labour costs and mistakes and create a positive working environment for all involved.

Our People & HR services include:

1. Building (and implementing if needed) a training and development plan bespoke to your business and employees.
2. Mentoring and development of senior personnel.
3. Developing (and implementing if needed) induction and onboarding plans.
4. Appraisal templates and guidance on implementation.
5. Payroll services.

With our full head office support, we manage your business as we do our own.  

We will work with your site-level management team(s) to improve all aspects of the business and report to the directors of the business on a weekly basis.

Our full head office support includes:

1. Day to day operational management of the business.
2. Financial management of the business.
3. Management of social media, marketing & PR strategy.
4. Onboarding, people management and HR.
5. Ongoing quality control and development of menus. 
6. A weekly appraisal and report of the business.
7. A weekly meeting with site-level management  teams.
8. A weekly action plan based on on-going business appraisals and meetings.
9. A Monthly P&L review with the directors of the business.