Rick Stein: 'Think restaurants are a way to print money? You try it!'
The celebrated chef spoke with Graeme Green about MasterChef, the so-called “Padstein” criticism, and his thoughts on the current challenges faced by the hospitality industry during the Christmas season.
Childhood Memories
Rick Stein fondly recalls his favorite Christmas present from childhood.
“One year, I was given a push-pedal car,” he says. “I was still tiny, and we were living in the Cotswolds. You sat in the car and pushed the two pedals, and went round and round the sitting room in it. I loved it.”
Those were, he admits, simpler and happier times.
Hospitality Industry Struggles
Decades later, Stein’s Christmas wish is less about gifts and more about policy — specifically, relief for struggling restaurants in Britain.
“A moratorium on VAT would be good,” he says about the changes he’d like to see for the hospitality sector. “80,000 jobs have been lost in hospitality this year. Things aren’t going well in our particular part of the industry.”
Economic Frustrations
Stein explains that higher taxes and National Insurance have slowed business growth and restricted hiring opportunities.
“If you’re faced with ever-increasing taxes, you’re going to cut back on labour wherever you can. You’re certainly not going to hire people unless you absolutely need to.”
While he acknowledges the difficult state of the economy, he criticizes government policies that, in his view, hurt the very sectors that need support.
“It seems to me a complete ‘home goal’ to target parts of the economy that are not well-equipped to deal with it.”
Author’s Summary
Rick Stein reflects on childhood joy and contrasts it with his current frustration over government tax policy, which he believes threatens the hospitality industry's recovery.