The haute cuisine restaurant has picked up a 2021 Travellers Choice Award, together with a nomination in S1jobs Awards.
Brasserie Ecosse, Dundee’s premier restaurant and cocktail bar, is celebrating a very successful week, having just learned that it has secured both a 2021 Travellers’ Choice Award, plus a nomination for Best Employer Learning and Development Initiative in the prestigious S1 Jobs Awards.
Celebrating restaurants that “consistently deliver fantastic experiences to travellers around the globe”, the Travellers’ Choice Awards are based entirely on a restaurant’s positive traveller reviews and ratings from customers over the past year.
Acknowledging that this past year had been particularly challenging for everyone in tourism and hospitality, the award literature stated that all winners had “stood out by providing great service and experiences to guests.”
Having established an on site training academy at the Brasserie in 2019, in response to a shortage of suitable training facilities in Dundee, and a desire to give something back to the local community, as Brasserie Ecosse General Manager Nikos Matsikas said, the brasserie is particularly pleased to have been shortlisted in the S1 Jobs Awards: “We are thrilled, this is just what we need. The Best Learning & Development Initiative within the S1 Jobs Award categories is looking for employers who actively promote learning within their organisation, showing their employees that they have made this a priority in the workplace,” said Nikos.
“This is absolutely true of ourselves, as we have kept out academy going right through the pandemic, with two staff members, our Commis Chef, Jordan, and our Head Waitress, Natalie, really having benefitted from it. We reopened two months ago, when an easing of restrictions on alcohol indoors made it possible for us, and they are both back doing what they love with even more confidence and skills than they had before.
“Natalie started off a part time waitress, but now runs Front of House, whilst Jordan is coming on leaps and bounds, running his own sections within the restaurant. He’s supplementing his workplace training with college time.
“We will be reaching out to the local Hospitality Colleges in the coming months to let them know we are willing to help with work placements, and so on.”
Nikos, who is originally from Chicago of Greek heritage, spent time working in Chicago and Manhattan’s 3 Michelin Star venues looking after the likes of Barack Obama, Johnny Depp, Jennifer Anniston to name a few. Time in Greece was spent spearheading Luxury 5 star Resort multi-food and beverage outlet operations for Leading Hotels of the World, before coming to Scotland to occupy senior Food & Beverage Management roles at Gleneagles & Malmaison.
“Myself, together with our Head Chef Scott Cameron, who has a vast knowledge of cooking techniques from cuisines’ around the world, were instrumental in setting up the Academy in 2019. We were part of the opening team that launched this beautiful, 200 cover restaurant to the dining public in 2018,” he said.
“The Travellers Choice award is entirely due to the opinions of our guests, so we really appreciate their support. Their opinions are the ones that matter the most.”
Nikos finished by saying that, over the pandemic, no one had lost their jobs at Brasserie Ecosse. With a new website and a healthy level of bookings in place as the vast majority of restrictions finally ease, the business was looking ahead with confidence, hoping to cover more events, parties and small weddings in its fantastic space.
“The industry must continue to address the shortage of skilled labour which has occurred due to the UK having left the EU. We’ve always faced criticism that not enough homegrown talent features in the market – well now is the time to change that, but young people need the proper cross-training to understand every aspect of running a venue such as ours, together with mentoring.”
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