The New Rules of Restaurant Success: Lessons From Two Years at tender

When we opened tender in Manchester two years ago, the ambition was to serve the finest food and drink rather than to create a traditional  fine dining restaurant. We set out to bring exceptional cooking to the city, but in a style that felt quite relaxed – we wanted to establish a food and drink experience that could bring people together in a building that has always been at the heart of the city. Because we were breathing new life into this extraordinary space, we already had the grandeur and drama of the setting, so we wanted to make sure the food made people feel at home, welcome and comfortable, without compromising on any of the quality and technique that I had honed in a Michelin star setting. Our menus were designed with this in mind – currently you can order a very accessible pasta dish at tender, which is prepared and sourced with the same attention to detail as the Chateaubriand. And all of the menu is deliberately unfussy and approachable.

Having spent my career in some of the world’s most demanding kitchens, I had seen first-hand how guest expectations were changing – today’s diners are interested in so much more than what is on the plate – and tender allowed us to create a destination that brings together creative cooking, warm and relaxed service and Manchester’s heritage. 

Great restaurants are built by great teams

Long before I became focused on menus and ingredients, I was drawn to the atmosphere of professional kitchens. What first attracted me to hospitality wasn’t just the food, it was the sense of teamwork. There’s a unique camaraderie that exists in restaurants – every service depends on dozens of people working towards the same goal, whether they’re in the kitchen, on the restaurant floor or behind the scenes.

At tender, I’m lucky to work with some of the most talented people I’ve encountered in my career. Their talent, dedication and shared commitment to delivering the level of service they provide is a reminder that great restaurants are ultimately built by great teams. 

Diners may never see what happens behind the scenes, but they can always feel it. A motivated team creates energy in a dining room, confidence in service and consistency across every aspect of the guest experience. In an industry that continues to face challenges around recruitment and retention, investing in people remains one of the most important things any restaurant can do.

Hospitality is the complete experience

Guests remember experiences rather than individual dishes. Of course, everyone wants to serve food that people talk about long after they’ve left the restaurant. But memorable hospitality is created through lots of details working together: the welcome at the door, the atmosphere in the room, the confidence of the service team, the pacing of the meal and the feeling visitors leave with at the end of the evening.

At tender, we’re fortunate to call one of Manchester’s most iconic buildings home. The Grade II-listed dining room certainly helps create a sense of occasion, but beautiful surroundings alone don’t create memorable hospitality. It’s why we’ve always looked at ways to enhance the wider experience too. Our partnership with the Hallé Orchestra, for example, brings one of the world’s leading classical ensembles into the space, creating moments where exceptional food and live music perfectly complement the grandeur and heritage of the building. 

Ultimately, it’s the combination of setting, food, service and atmosphere that turns a meal into an experience. When all of these elements come together, guests leave remembering how they felt, not just what they ate. 

Creating reasons to return

Opening a restaurant is one challenge, but remaining relevant is another entirely. The venues that thrive long-term are the ones that continue to evolve while staying true to what made them successful in the first place. 

For us, a big part of that comes from continually giving customers something new to experience. Seasonality is a big focus of ours – tender’s menus change throughout the year to reflect the best ingredients available, keeping the food fresh for both our guests and team behind it. 

It’s also about creating new experiences that give people a different way to engage with the restaurant. The introduction of Afternoon Tea allowed us to do exactly that, bringing the same attention to detail, quality ingredients and creativity that sits at the heart of everything we do, but in a different format. Like our restaurant menus, the Afternoon Tea changes with the seasons, from spring and summer editions through to festive experiences, giving guests a reason to return throughout the year.

Since we launched it, our Afternoon Tea has become one of the city’s most popular and highly rated, introducing many guests to tender for the first time. We’ve also been fortunate to see many of them come back to experience the restaurant in a different way. For me, it’s a good reminder that keeping things interesting and offering guests new experiences can only be a positive. 

Resilience Above All

It’s tough out there – in all my years of hospitality I haven’t faced such challenging conditions, but you can’t let that backdrop stop you from trying new things. Guests are here to be looked after, for a break from their own worries and concerns – so no matter how tough things are behind the scenes, guests must walk into a sanctuary. Hospitality is about taking care of people and that’s what we do no matter what.