National Mentoring Day later this month on the 27th champions the two-way benefits of guiding new starters through the first all-important steps of their career. Crucially, mentoring is all about advising, sharing knowledge and suggesting – never dictating – a course of action. For the mentee, it’s an invaluable opportunity to learn and work through issues with someone who is experienced and independent.
Lee Lynch, Managing Director of Red Door bars in Chester and Liverpool, is no stranger to the innumerable advantages mentoring can have on someone during the early stages of their career. Having been mentored himself, Lee now reciprocates that knowledge to his employees at Red Door.
At the age of 15, he worked as a glass collector before joining Tim Bacon and Dave Hinds at age 18 at the Live Café, the precursor to bar and restaurant giant, Living Ventures. “The training that I received was second to none. Others in the industry bend over backwards to take on staff trained by LV. The attention to detail, experience and confidence that they give you is invaluable.” says Lee.
“It ended up shaping my entire life. You get real-time education from day one. After 25 years in the industry, I’ve noticed that the most successful people work through every element, rising through the ranks of glass collecting right through to management. You learn every aspect of the industry that way and can’t substitute that hands-on experience for sitting behind a desk from the outset”.
Josh Roberts and Lee LynchIt’s this all-encompassing approach which remains integral to Red Door’s ethos. “When we recruit managers, we teach them everything – including the basics” says Lee. “They work as a Bar-back for a while before we allow them to start handling accounts. That way, they fully understand every aspect of the business before they are accountable for budgets. It’s a lot of responsibility but the financial and career rewards are absolutely worth it.”
A recent Red Door success story is former Red Door Liverpool General Manager, Josh Roberts: “I wasn’t just taught how to run a venue, but a business” says Josh, reflecting on his experience. “Uni wasn’t right for me, so I started working in bars around Liverpool. In 2014, I joined Red Door and became fully trained in profits and loss, costs and expenditure. My time at Red Door gave me the tools, insight and experience to start my own business, ‘East River’, a bagel and cocktail bar, which will be launching later this year.”
To Lee, Josh’s success is a testament to Red Door’s leadership-orientated approach. “Josh showed real promise and he ended up building the brand and playing a crucial role in Red Door’s increasing popularity. Without him, I don’t think Red Door Liverpool would have been the success it is today. I’m very confident in his future achievements.”
Polishing new starters into fully-fledged entrepreneurs is what makes Red Door one of the most attractive workplaces for the region’s hospitality stars of tomorrow. “Independent bars are the future of the industry” says Lee. “These are the young people who think outside the box, inspire new ideas and give us something different to the norm. Some of the bigger corporations have a ‘cookie cutter’ approach, whereas independents are unique and give us a diverse and rich culture, which people buy into. There’s never been a better time to join the industry and thrive.”
Hospitality and Catering News would like to congratulate Lee Lynch on his mentoring of colleagues, a subject very close to our own hearts that is vital to our industry’s growth.