Chef Sally Abe and Topjaw producer launch map of women-owned hospitality businesses

‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ is one of Sally Abe's guiding principles. The chef, whose CV reads like a tour of some of Britain's best kitchens, has become one of hospitality's most prominent advocates for women, championing initiatives that encourage, support and celebrate female chefs and hospitality professionals. Collaborating with Topjaw producer Kayla Lawrie, the pair have launched a map tracing restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes across the UK owned, or co-owned by women. 

It’s no secret that hospitality, which is a somewhat murky industry, has systemic, gender-based problems. In 2024, Abe released a memoir, A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen, which recounts the frankly shocking treatment of chefs, toxic kitchen culture, and insidious industry misogyny in all its many forms. Her story starts in the late 2000s, and 20 years on, many of those issues remain. 

Abe also serves as a panellist for SquareMeal's Female Chef of the Year Awards, regularly engages with talks and dinners to raise visibility, and, last year, along with Dara Klein and Poppy O'Toole, spearheaded an open letter addressing sexism and inequality across the industry. It's a mission that comes to life at her Hackney restaurant, Teal by Sally Abe, via strict policies that ensure Abe's staff (which is majority female) are protected, treated fairly, and never exposed to the negatives that influenced the early years of her own career.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by M&S (@marksandspencer)

Putting female-owned businesses on the map

On finding that they couldn’t view all the UK’s women-owned restaurants in one place, Lawrie and Abe thought up a solution: a map functions as a discovery tool, bringing together a diverse and varied industry in one place. It's the first of its kind, and already, Abe and Lawrie have identified 350+ businesses, from Belfast and Aberdeen to St Ives, all of them owned by women. Businesses are grouped by category, each with the social media page tagged and the name of the owner clearly listed. It’s a resource not just for where these businesses exist, but who is the driving force.

The job isn’t done; industry figures, business owners, and the public are all invited to put forward more venues and build the database.

A network of talent

The female-owned hospitality map goes beyond identifying restaurants and businesses led by women. Representation is another element of the problem. On average, women make up around 70% of the UK’s hospitality workforce, but hold just 8% of leadership roles and earn, on average, 3.45% less than their male counterparts for the same work.

For those within the industry, the hope is that the map will allow individuals to connect and network more easily - collaborate on four-hands dinners, help each other out, or simply meet to share knowledge of the industry.

What started as a London project, reeling off the likes of Delamina Townhouse, Chishuru and Jamavar, has expanded to encompass out-of-London restaurants like Wilsons, Hansom, and Olive Tree Bath. With suggestions open to the public, the number of restaurants will only go up - send in your tips using the form below. 

Want more info on female-owned hospitality businesses? From fiery Malaysian cooking to Michelin-starred icons, here's discover the top women-led restaurants in London and across the UK.