Packed with entertaining anecdotes, Tony gives a real insight into one of the few remaining characters on the UK’s restaurant scene and a template for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to know how it could – but perhaps shouldn’t – be done. Tony Allan is second only to Sir Terence Conran as Britain’s wealthiest restaurateur. He is worth an estimated £85 million and enjoys celebrity status following his primetime BBC cookery show Tony & Giorgio, with his best pal Giorgio Locatelli. But it could all have been so different… After being expelled from school for stripping lead from the roofs of school buildings he went to catering college, gained an apprenticeship at Claridges, and was chef de partie at the Dorchester, all before he was 20. It was in his next job that his big break came: he got the sack as Head Chef at Kennedy Brooks’ Salters Court for complaining about the quality of the fish. His response? He borrowed £400 from his father in law, bought himself a van and went on midnight runs to buy fish direct from the markets on the south coast. By selling direct to London’s top restaurants and cutting out the middle man, Tony was soon making handsome profits. A salmon smokery followed, and then he realized his dream project when he opened the first of his restaurants at Bank. Bank opened in 1996 and quickly won a string of awards. To cap it all, he was crowned Stock Exchange Entrepreneur of theYear in 1998. In 1999, he launched his debut Fish! restaurant and other Fish! Restaurants quickly followed. Tony’s latest project is the new pizza/pasta chain Loco. Tony Allan is a rare breed – a masterful chef as well as a great businessman. This is essential reading for aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life, including anyone who has ever dreamt of running their own business or opening a successful restaurant. Tony is Tony Allan’s inspiring story.
Book Details:
- Author: Tony Allan
- ISBN: 9781841126319
- Year Published: 2006
- Pages: 222
- BISAC: BUS000000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/General
About the Book and Topic:
Packed with entertaining anecdotes, Tony gives a real insight into one of the few remaining characters on the UK’s restaurant scene and a template for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to know how it could – but perhaps shouldn’t – be done. Tony Allan is second only to Sir Terence Conran as Britain’s wealthiest restaurateur. He is worth an estimated £85 million and enjoys celebrity status following his primetime BBC cookery show Tony & Giorgio, with his best pal Giorgio Locatelli. But it could all have been so different… After being expelled from school for stripping lead from the roofs of school buildings he went to catering college, gained an apprenticeship at Claridges, and was chef de partie at the Dorchester, all before he was 20. It was in his next job that his big break came: he got the sack as Head Chef at Kennedy Brooks’ Salters Court for complaining about the quality of the fish. His response? He borrowed £400 from his father in law, bought himself a van and went on midnight runs to buy fish direct from the markets on the south coast. By selling direct to London’s top restaurants and cutting out the middle man, Tony was soon making handsome profits. A salmon smokery followed, and then he realized his dream project when he opened the first of his restaurants at Bank. Bank opened in 1996 and quickly won a string of awards. To cap it all, he was crowned Stock Exchange Entrepreneur of theYear in 1998. In 1999, he launched his debut Fish! restaurant and other Fish! Restaurants quickly followed. Tony’s latest project is the new pizza/pasta chain Loco. Tony Allan is a rare breed – a masterful chef as well as a great businessman. This is essential reading for aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life, including anyone who has ever dreamt of running their own business or opening a successful restaurant. Tony is Tony Allan’s inspiring story.
Cookery capers and entrepreneurial wisdom from one of the UK’s most celebrated chefs.
1. Tony has never been afraid to speak his mind ? in his first press interview he jokingly suggested that then pal Marco Pierre White was serving writing ink instead of squid ink ? a court battle followed and the off-the-cuff quip cost Tony a tidy sum when he lost the case! 2. The book has some serious business messages, as well as giving a real insight into one of the few remaining characters on the restaurant scene. Tony Allan is indeed a rare breed ? a masterful chef as well as a great businessman. Will appeal to aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life, including anyone who has ever had a dream of opening a successful restaurant ? a huge market by itself! 3. Tony?s story is packed with entertaining anecdotes ? will be a real page turner. The book will get under the skin of what makes Tony tick ? his sense of adventure, can-do, never-say-die attitude, and his mischievous sense of fun.
About the Author
Tony Allan is second only to Terence Conran as Britain?s wealthiest restaurateur. He is worth an estimated £85 million, and rising all the time. His meteoric rise from fishmonger to the elite of British entrepreneurs speaks volumes for his dedication and skill as a chef, but also his uncanny ability as a businessman to spot an opportunity and maximize it to its fullest potential. He starred in the BBC2 primetime cookery show Tony & Giorgio, with his best pal Giorgio Locatelli, himself owner of the premier London eatery Lomando Locatelli.