Genuine Dining has diversified to create a sturdy business

Mitchell says: "We have a real desire to look for new opportunities; we don't diversify for the sake of it. We always think about what our clients want us to deliver to keep the offer exciting. So, when we come up with good ideas or find people who are really good at what they do, it makes sense to back them."

The approach seems to be reaping rewards. Between January and July, the group won five client contracts, bringing its total to 68, which span 79 sites and employ some 700 people. Clients include media group News UK, workspace the Office Group and global insurance firm Nexus, as well as law firms, tech companies and banking corporations.

Financially its outlook is strong. The group's turnover was down to £12.8m in 2021 from £22.7m in 2019, but it has successfully recovered to levels exceeding 2020 (£17.1m) for the period ending September 2022 and is also on track to exceed 2022 turnover for the year ending September 2023.

On top of this, two weeks ago, one of those start-ups – east London mental health coffee shop JAAQ Coffee – was awarded a Catey for Best Marketing Campaign, but more on that later.

Amplifying the guest experience

The hybrid working model could be seen as a threat for front of house guest service, but Mitchell thinks otherwise. He says: "There were a number of instances where clients asked us to deliver that [front of house guest] service. We weren't specialists in delivering it, but we knew we could offer those benefits by getting a specialist on board."

He found that specialist in Amanda Kay, and together they launched Amplify. Kay comes from an operations and business development background, having worked at Portico for 11 years, with stints at BaxterStorey and Holroyd Howe. She says her passion is in delivering a great client-facing experience and speaks of the advantages of "dovetailing" guest services and catering.

"There's always strength in connecting the dots between these two service lines from a guest's perspective, particularly when you consider that events, meetings and hospitality wrap around that entire journey," she explains.

This month, Amplify is celebrating its one-year anniversary. It has eight clients, including workspaces Havas and Grainhouse, as well as Nexus Insurance, with a ninth to be added this November. To support this growing clientele, Amplify has 25 employees with a further 10 to be inducted this year. The company's annual revenue to date, is £1.6m and it turned a profit within eight months of operating.

A coffee and a catch-up

Genuine Dining's latest Catey-winning venture is tackling the sector- and society-wide challenge of mental health. JAAQ Coffee – the "world's first mental health café" – went from a conversation to implementation in just seven weeks and was launched in November 2022.

Its development was a collaborative effort between Danny Gray, chief executive of mental health platform Just Ask a Question (JAAQ) and Tim Axe, managing director at Genuine Dining. With a budget of £12,500 from JAAQ and Genuine Dining, the café was launched in the Office Group's spaces in Whitechapel in London.

Customers can scan a QR code on their coffee cup to gain access to 50,000 interactive resources across 50 topics, from anxiety to depression, as well as access experts on mental health and those with shared experiences. In addition, JAAQ baristas receive mental health training, giving them the confidence to aid and assist customers who might want help or advice.

Axe says sign-off for the project was given almost "instantaneously" because it fitted with Genuine Dining's culture. He adds: "It feels like it's the right thing for our people. It's also something we think can add value to the business, so why wouldn't we do it?"

For the Office Group it was a shared space with no fixed renters looking for an offering that would entice workers and further its wellbeing strategy. Now, not only does the café gives the space a greater sense of purpose, but it also sends a positive message to the hospitality sector that companies are sitting up and listening to the plight of the industry's poor mental health.

Axe says: "In these uncertain times, a partnership such as this is a key part of our well-being strategy. It also shows our clients and partners that the people delivering their foodservice are supported." Financially, it is also paying dividends ,with sales more than 300% above those achieved by the previous high street coffee brand. But for Axe, the project means more than balancing the books: "For us, it is not just about the financial success, it's also about delivering a great experience alongside our partners, it's people's happiness over money."

Its success has seen JAAQ Coffee takeovers at five of Genuine Dining's client sites in central London, including workspace Havas, engaging with over 3,000 customers daily. A further 12 are in the pipeline.

On winning a Catey for the initiative Axe adds: "We're delighted to win a Catey – it's amazing. But the reason for JAAQ existing isn't necessarily about the accolades and awards, it was about delivering something that would change the stigma attached to mental health. Long may that continue."

A people business

While Mitchell, who will soon row across the Atlantic to raise funds for Hospitality Action (see panel), says diversification "wins different opportunities", he explains that a large reason for broadening Genuine Dining's offering are the prospects for employee progression: "The ultimate goal is to retain talented people. With the business growing in a lot of different areas, we've got more opportunities for every single person in the business to be on a succession plan."

Both Axe and Kay emphasise that the key to recruiting quality employees is focusing on what they can bring to the team, rather than the skills they already have. Kay explains: "Coming into our world of hospitality, teaching employees our side of things is simple, but finding those gems with the right attitude and culture of service can be hard. They are unicorns – these absolute stars who can do a myriad of roles."

She cites traits such as an ability to think quickly, a proactive attitude, willingness to learn and a welcoming demeanour. This approach means 90% of Amplify's employees had no reception experience when they joined the company, with many moving into the sector from retail and one from a previous career as a tour guide.

Similarly, Virve Stick had limited barista experience, working at a restaurant in New City College Hackney before she became a JAAQ Coffee barista, but she is now progressing within the company (see panel).

So, is further diversification on the cards? Mitchell says: "We're looking at some things, but the important thing is we don't spread ourselves too thinly. So again, it's back to that thinking about if an idea can be executed properly and if we've got people to make it commercially successful, then that might be something we'll look at."

Tips to attract and retain

Kay's top tips for attracting and retaining the best talent for your company.

Start with the job description Short, eye-catching statements such as, ‘Are you awesome? Do you like to make people smile?', are hooks.

Use the right channels to find candidates Kay says she has spent no more than £1,000 on recruitment, using ads on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to target users in hospitality, food and drink and retail, as opposed to using LinkedIn which, she says, fewer young people use.

Ensure a warm welcome to the company Kay sends a personal welcome card with a gift, either socks or a flower subscription, and offers lunch with an Amplify member on their first day. Invest in employees' learning Kay opted for digital learning platform GoodHabitz, which is available in more than 40 languages and allows employees to study when it suits them. Courses include how to make meetings more exciting, developing assertiveness and how to lead difficult conversations.

Reward and recognition After 12 weeks with Amplify, each employee receives a £50 Virgin Experiences voucher. Subsequent vouchers are given on ad hoc basis to recognise great talent. Employees choose benefits, as opposed to being given them.

About Virve Stick, general manager, JAAQ

Virve Stick started off as a JAAQ barista at JAAQ Coffee's inaugural Whitechapel branch. She was promoted to JAAQ Coffee general manager, working across all the Office Group sites.

Why did you want to work at JAAQ Coffee?

When Tim (Axe) and Candy (van Antwerp, head of people) approached me, I was very happy to get involved due to the mental health aspect and how it would help people in our industry. I have people close to me who have dealt with poor mental health so it's something I am very passionate about. I felt like this is something our industry really needed. Genuine Dining as a company is mental health-focused, so it made sense. I also love coffee and working with people, so it was ideal.

How does being a mental health trained barista work in practice?

It helps to be confident in your knowledge and aware of the issues and signs of bad mental health. If someone at the café is struggling, whether that be staff, customers, or a passerby, you can assist and direct them to where they can get help. It is powerful knowing you can be of assistance to someone. The training we received was great, it made sure we understood our responsibility.

In what way does your role help customers?

I am proud to be able to represent such a great platform and be confident in my approach to people struggling with their mental health. The platform is so user-friendly and, for the customer, having someone behind the counter who knows what they are talking about is something people have really responded well to.

How do you see your role benefitting the wider company?

Having just been promoted to general manager for the Office Group contract and JAAQ Coffee, I can be there for my fellow colleagues and increase awareness of mental health in the industry. Plus, my new role means I can support the junior team members. Also, the project is encouraging more open conversations; it's really important. JAAQ cafés are also a very cool environment which I think makes people more relaxed about being there, it's comfortable and fun to visit.

Spirit of hospitality

Chris Mitchell and Genuine Dining Group's business development director Robbie Laidlaw are undertaking the 40-day (if all goes to plan,) 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic this December.

The pair will leave La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 12 December and finish in Antigua. They will row in Maria, a nine metre, 150kg rowing boat, built by two-time Atlantic rowing world record holder Mark Slats and rowing consultants Dutch Ocean Expeditions. Mitchell and Laidlaw will battle up to 20-foot waves and mid-Atlantic storms along the way.

Fitting in with the group's desire to raise awareness of mental health in the industry, their efforts are in aid of Hospitality Action.

Their choice of charity is twofold; in June 2017, the group's restaurant Feng Sushi in Borough Market was caught up in the London terror attacks. The brave employees, who saved the restaurant's clientele from further harm by locking the doors as a terrorist ran towards them, suffered from PTSD. Within 48 hours of the company contacting Hospitality Action, the staff received the help they needed.

Then, three years later when the pandemic hit, the organisation was there to support the industry again. As Mitchell and Laidlaw say: "Life can change in a day, as we learned in 2020."

During the wave of redundancies that swept the sector and the uncertainties that followed, Hospitality Action was there for the industry's staff. "We need to support these people for the survival of our industry, it hangs on organisations like Hospitality Action to give a cushion to anyone that falls on hard times," say the duo.

Sponsorship has come from across the sector including BaxterStorey, Bidfood, Graysons, and Delicious Ideas. Chefs Neil Rankin, Daniel Howes and Tom Kerridge are supporting Mitchell and Laidlaw with meals and snacks throughout the trip; for example, Kerridge and his team will be producing Mitchell and Laidlaw's Christmas meal.

They aim to raise £250,000. To date, they have raised just shy of £140,000.

Follow Mitchell and Laidlaw's fundraising and training journey @spirit_of_hospitality