Evolve Hospitality – A look back on a great summer

By Rory Kelly-Naughton – Front-of-House Operations Director, Evolve Hospitality

Summer is always a great time in hospitality. Who doesn’t prefer the sun to the wind and rain? It’s by no coincidence that the summer is when the events industry really kicks into gear. As a temporary recruitment agency, Evolve Hospitality has assisted with Front- and Back-of-House staffing from Scotland, right down to the Isle of Wight. 

Front-of-House Highlights

2022 has enjoyed a summer of some wonderful sporting moments:

• A fully reopened Cheltenham Festival was truly a sight to behold, with over 200 staff a day helping to cater the jewel in the British racing calendar
• The Open – golf’s original tournament – at St Andrews is always an iconic setting. Our team of chefs teed off a week before the competition, looking after the crowd and players in style 
• Our Front-of-House team had the privilege of seeing the women’s football team win the Euros at Wembley. Special thanks should be made to George Scott, for his excellent planning and execution; he was integral to the operation and flew the Evolve flag with absolute pride and determination. George also spent the week at Royal Ascot, checking in staff at silly o’clock everyday!
• Our Birmingham team took the gold medal in 2022, hosting the Commonwealth Games. There was a wonderful atmosphere around the city from the very first day, with Evolve chefs and waiting staff represented in all venues across the city. The feedback from staff and clients was worthy of a gold medal!

If 2022’s groundbreaking sporting events weren’t enough, it was the summer of the return to live concerts! The who’s who of the music world were on tour after Covid had kept them in lockdown for two years. From Coldplay selling out Wembley; Red Hot Chilli Peppers in the London Stadium; Lady Gaga in Tottenham; and Liam Gallagher rocking it out in Knebworth, our staff were on hand to host attendees, and had a great time in the process. 

Back-of-House highlights

Our Back-of-House team have undertaken some fantastic events this summer too, with highlights including both the Women’s Open and the Wimbledon Championships. For the Open, Evolve sent a team of seven chefs up to Scotland to run the players’ and families’ dining area, where they produced up to 1000 covers per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The team stayed in some fantastic accommodation, close to the golf course. Particular thanks must go to both Iulian Sbirciog and Dan Rosu, who helped lead the event, leading the client to ask for the team to return for future events. 

At Wimbledon, we sent a team of 10 chers per day for the championship fortnight, with chefs split across the Members’ restaurant, hospitality suites and retail. Standout chef, Alex Vitali, worked everyday, even picking up tips at the end of the fortnight due to his performance and hard work. As a result of this great event, Evolve has been asked to triple the allocation of chefs for next summer’s tournament. 

Cambridge highlights

Our new Cambridge office kicked off their first summer season in style, working with the Jockey Club at Newmarket Racecourse throughout their summer festival of races. This included their popular Newmarket Nights evening racing, seeing acts such as Pete Tong, Anne – Marie, and The Script. Coordinating with the Birmingham FOH and BOH team, Cambridge supplied between 8-12 FOH staff members and between 4 – 10 BOH chefs and Kitchen Assistants for each fixture. Numerous staff reported back to say they really enjoyed working at Newmarket for its great atmosphere and the variety of roles available. 

We are very lucky to have such wonderful staff to support both the Evolve team and our clients during these events. The summer of ‘22 has been so very memorable, and we look forward to discovering what 2023 brings!