The Tom Kerridge Group, the six-strong restaurant group from Michelin-starred chef and TV personality Tom Kerridge, has made two important promotions from within the company.
Matthew O’Connor has been promoted to Business Development & Guest Relations Director and Blaine Whiteside (pictured) has been promoted to Restaurant Director at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill.
Matthew’s appointment comes as the company looksto focus on guest experience, where Matthew will be responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of high-quality services for all guests within the business.
Matthew will ensure the guest journey throughout each venue is optimised and will seek out opportunities to elevate the experience further. He will provide coaching and training to staff on guest relations and implement a strategic approach to improve customer care.
Matthew, who has been with The Tom Kerridge Group since 2018, joined as part of the openings team for Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, where he rose from Deputy Restaurant Director to Restaurant Director in less than two years. He brings a wealth of hospitality experience to the role having worked at Dinner by Heston, The Modern in NYC with Danny Meyer and at the Savoy Grill.
Blaine Whiteside has been promoted from Deputy Restaurant Director to Restaurant Director at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill. Blaine moved from Manchester to open Kerridge’s Bar & Grill alongside Matthew in 2018 and will now oversee the operation of the acclaimed restaurant at Corinthia London.
His new role encompasses driving the team forward to ensure the highest service standards are retained, maintaining guest loyalty and on staff training and welfare, taking Kerridge’s Bar & Grill to the next level.
Tom Kerridge said, “I’m delighted to announce both Matthew’s and Blaine’s promotions, they are both key team members within the business and their hospitality insight is invaluable. I will be working more closely with Matthew as he will be across all the businesses so we can build a stronger guest experience for the future.”
Matthew added, “I am incredibly excited and I’m looking forward to my new role within the business. The teams up and down the Group are incredibly talented and I can’t wait to be working more closely with them to continue to build the reputation of The Tom Kerridge Group.”
Finally, Blaine commented, “I'm excited to be taking the helm at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill and look forward to leading the dedicated team into an exciting new chapter.”