As Hawksmoor prepares to open its fifth restaurant in Knightsbridge next month, we caught up with the founders to talk popularity, plans for the future and proud moments.
It was after opening Shoreditch bar The Redchurch and Mexican restaurant Green & Red, that
Huw Gott and Will Beckett (pictured left to right) opened the first Hawksmoor eight years ago in Spitalfields. Since then, they have launched three more branches, in the City, Covent Garden and Mayfair, and created a
restaurant brand that’s among the most-loved in London.
What’s the secret of Hawksmoor’s success?
Will: Quite a diverse group of people like Hawksmoor: the financial crowd like it, the foodie crowd like it, tourists seem to like, locals like it. I know people who have been coming for
eight years and still like it.
This is branch number five. Do you consider yourself a chain?
Will: We are a chain in that we have five restaurants all with the same name, but that’s about it.
How big will Hawksmoor get?
Will: We do enjoy having a company that grows, but I don’t think you’ll ever see 10 Hawksmoors in London and I don’t think there’ll be more for quite a while now. I feel that if we overdid
it we could lose some of that specialness.
Have you gone to great lengths to keep this ‘specialness’ thus far?
Will: There is an idea that as something grows it gets a little bit worse and we certainly don’t want to let that happen.
We are trying to get better and have some individuality.
Huw: We try to make each restaurant relevant to the area it’s in. Spitalfields is a very different area to Knightsbridge, for example, and so the restaurants are different too.
Which is your favourite of the Hawksmoor branches?
Huw: I’m a Guildhall person, but it does change. I think the atmosphere there at breakfast is second to none, and it is an incredible building.
Will: It’s hard to single one out; quite recently I was really into Guildhall, and I think pretty soon it might all be about Knightsbridge. I’m also really into the bar at Spitalfields (pictured right), it has taken on a complete life of its own.
Are there any plans to open more different restaurants, as you did with Foxlow?
Will: We have no immediate plans, but I am sure that more stuff like that will come up and there will be more spin-offs.
And will you roll-out Foxlow (pictured
left)?
Huw: There are some things we want to tweak with Foxlow’s menu first. For example, we thought the idea of a salad bar was great, but we’ve found that people don’t eat a lot of salad. But I
wouldn’t rule out another Foxlow.
Will: I think Foxlow could definitely be rolled out. It was something different for us and suited a particular type of our audience. It’s been a big success.
The two of you have been working together for a long time now. What are your respective roles?
Will: Huw used to say that he did all the interesting stuff and I do all the boring stuff.
Huw: The things I like are devising the food and the design, the stuff the customer sees. Will is really good at the behind-the-scenes: the people side of it, who works here and how to keep
them motivated.
What achievement are you most proud of with Hawksmoor?
Huw: In October 2010 we had 40 people working for us, and by October 2012 we had 400. That’s pretty cool. And most importantly, that’s 400 people who most of the time really like what
they’re doing. We were recently named in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For list. [Hawksmoor is ranked at 21 and is the only restaurant business in the list.]
Will: Very often individual restaurants have a bit of magic, and as they grow and open more branches they sacrifice this magic for consistency, efficiency and things like that. I actually
feel that we’ve done the opposite and got better. I really like that. Every year we’ve got more sustainable and ethical, and I think our food and design gets better every time.
Finally, aside from Hawksmoor, what steaks do you rate in London at the moment?
Huw: I really like Flat Iron. The steak is fantastic and they take just as much care with the rest of the
offering, too. In terms of other restaurants, I love The Palomar: I think the food is amazing.
Hawksmoor Knightsbridge opens on 3 July. See our listing for this restaurant here.
Published 19 June 2014.