Ashley Best, 64 Goodge Street

Hey folks, welcome back to the Scoop podcast.

This conversation was an absolute joy; I love talking to passionate front of house - maybe selfishly because that is what I do too. Ashley Best is the General Manager of 64 Goodge Street in Fitzrovia. Before this role, Ashley worked at Quality Chop House in Farringdon, Trinity in Clapham, and spent almost 10 years at The Ritz in Mayfair; he began his career as a chef before realising his strengths leaned towards guest-facing roles.

There was something about this conversation which reignited my love of the industry. I think we all need it now and again, a spark or a comment which brings us back to the reasons why we do what we do. There were a few things I learnt about Ashley’s leadership style: the recognition of value and forward-thinking, a desire to teach your team confidence in themselves and their abilities, and the importance of mentorship and real teaching. Ashley’s eloquent vernacular about the sector made it crystal clear that he has spent so much time becoming a master of his craft, relishing those repetitive tasks, focusing his efforts on guest experience and operational consistency, and gaining a seriously impressive knowledge bank.

A personal thank you to Ashley for really brightening my day, making me feel proud of what I do, and advocating for front-of-house recognition. If you are in a guest-facing role, I recommend giving this a listen.

I am Stella, and I’m gonna take you out for dinner.

Mentions:

⁠64 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia⁠

⁠Woodhead Restaurant Group⁠

⁠Quality Chop House, Farringdon⁠

⁠Portland, Fitzrovia⁠

⁠Clipstone, Fitzrovia⁠

The Ritz, Mayfair

Ynyshir, Machynlleth

Epicure, Paris

L' Ambroisie, Paris

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea

Trinity, Clapham

Kyle Adams, 64 Goodge Street

Alex Dalby, previously 64 Goodge Street

David Boland, Royal Academy of Culinary Arts

Tom Phillips, Restaurant Story

Lucy Wilson, head pastry chef at Buckingham Palace

Lewis Wilson, head pastry chef at The Ritz

Dr Hilary Cooke, Merlin Consultancy and Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma

Daniel Crump, Greyhound

John Williams, The Ritz

Laura Raeside, Lost Village and Events Operations Consultancy

Will Davis, previously 64 Goodge Street

Laura Treharne, JKS Restaurants

Specialised Chef Scholarship, Royal Academy of Culinary Arts