Andy McKay

Sep 21, 2008

The recruiter and the restaurant


Although we don't have a TV, there's still quite a few shows I watch and thanks to iPlayer I can get my fix of Top Gear, Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week. But also recently I've been watching The Restaurant, yes it's terrible reality TV, but for some reason quite compelling.

The prize is "One dream. To open a restaurant, financially backed and personally supported by Raymond Blanc.". Personally (and as the recent exits from the show noted) I've always found working in a restaurant to be very challenging, very hard work and one of the riskiest businesses out there. However lots of people want to do it.

Anyway the prize is to work with Raymond Blanc and with his name and the fame from the show, people will get a very good start on their career. Perhaps this leg up is why people want to go on the show, as opposed to just actually going and opening a restaurant.

A few days ago I got an email passes on from a friend from a recruiter, wondering if I was interested in a job. I get these occasionally and they are always flattering, but this one was worded in a way I found curious and reminded me of the above. I've changed the names and descriptions:

Subject: Al Gore (pioneer of the internet)

Al Gore is the pioneer who authored this that and the other. Most recently 
he did this, that and the other and now he's off on a new company. Come 
work here and get the chance to work with Al. Al this, Al that. What are you 
nuts you don't want to work with Al? Etc...

...it felt like a chance to open a restaurant with Raymond Blanc. That's probably not a bad thing, but it still means there is a very long way to go and a lot of work involved.