Secret Service: Lifting the lid on the restaurant world

by Fred Sirieix

'A brilliant, engaging, eye-opener of a book, packed with stories from the top tables of some of the world s most fabulous restaurants. -Alan Carr **WITH A FOREWORD BY MICHEL ROUX JR** Secret Service is a no-holds-barred look at the service its highs, its lows, the eccentric characters. From dangerous liaisons under dining tables to after-hours punch-ups, the UK's most famous maître-d' Fred Sirieix spills the beans on this edgy industry in the front-of-house reply to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential . With over 25 years' experience of charming guests at the world's top restaurants, Fred has seen it ALL. He can tell you how to get a table at a restaurant that's booked solid for months ahead, how to secure the best seat in the room, how to spot when you re being 'upsold'. And he's got all the gossip on what goes on behind the scenes the furious paddling under the surface while the waiting staff glide effortlessly around the dining room. Fascinating, funny and touching, Fred's natural empathy, charm and candour make this an essential read for anyone who's ever stepped foot inside a restaurant - and he will inspire anyone ambitious to be a part of this extraordinary industry.

Genres: Management, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jack Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred came to England and started work at La Tante Claire at pretty much the same time I started working on the AA Restaurant Guide so it was fun to read his reminiscences of various big-name restaurants in the 1990s. He must have been working at Le Gavroche on my one and only visit. It's mad to think that back then only three British restaurants had Michelin stars, I'm lucky to have seen all this exiting stuff happen.

I really liked the way this is written, it's very neat and precise, and I think service is vastly underrated, so it was fascinating to read about it from the point of view of one of the best maitre d's in the country.
Everyone's always more interested in the chefs (and food is always good to read about) but the stuff he says about running an efficient dining room is all bang on.

Recommended to anyone interested in front-of-house or restaurants generally.

It really didn't need to be 256 pages though, the point size is massive. You definitely won't need your reading glasses. :D

[Richie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy and quick to read. Not the best book about the hospitality industry, but a light, entertaining read about Fred's experiences.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a "how to" manual for restaurant workers ... and not in an interesting way. The inclusion of the occasional personal anecdote is the only reason I gave this 2 stars - it just wasn't much of a read I'm afraid.

[Anthony Bracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.

Worked in London many years ago and this book brought back all the drama of working in hotels and restaurants there.

[Paul Cockerton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stick to the restaurant business.

This is more chicken cottage than haute cuisine. Flimsy anecdotes, little insight, dull prose. Nothing to learn here, move along.

[Createpei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly readible this book covers restaurant management from first the perspective of service and hospitality. It is quite obvious that the author Fred Sirieix has been extremely well educated in the classical sense of hospitality, service, and roles and responsibilities within a restaurant both from a formal sense but then also from the hands on service sense having served as waiter and then manager in many of Britains best Classical French and High-End name brand restaurants.

I love Fred's philosophy of approaching service - the anticipation of any of your guest's requirements *before* they actually need them; as well as providing service above and beyond your guest's expectations. This is truly what the hospitality business is all about. Providing unbelievable experiences and memories that guests will carry away with them and tell their friends about. This provides the essence of what makes an excellent and profitable restaurant - excellent and profitable.

Highly recommend to any business leader - although obviously those dealing with or learning hospitality will benefit the most from reading - there are also key takeaways in Fred's book that any business owner can use.

[Kath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed as I had heard Fred talking on the radio and thought this would be full of humour and illustrations of interesting experiences he had had during his restaurant career. However it was more like a manual and motivator for those in training and there was a lot of repetition and marketing of 'Galvin at Windows'.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read especially if you are in the restaurant/hospitality game. It gives you a real insight into how you should think to be successful in this field and the stories from Fred's life were fascinating. Glad I picked this one up!

[Luke Radichi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great stories. Coming from someone who works in restaurants it makes a lot of sense to me and there were plenty of stories that gave me lots of advice on how to improve myself.