Simon King
A hospitality guru renowned for his success in helping household names like Gordon Ramsey, Heston Blumenthal and Danny Meyers build award-winning restaurant portfolios, has secured 3 AA Rosettes and an AA wine award for his own gastropub in Surrey within just 18 months of opening.
Having started his career in 1999 waiting for 5-star hotels, including The Ritz, London, Simon King has since carved a credible reputation within the hospitality industry, where he is renowned for his proven approach to Front-of-House operations.
The winner of ‘UK Young Waiter of the Year’ in 2000 and listed as part of The Caterer’s prestigious ‘Top 30 under 30’ in 2002, Simon boasts a string of impressive achievements within the hospitality sector.
These range from opening the Savoy Grill with Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing in 2003 and launching Dinner by Heston Blumenthal in the Mandarin Oriental in 2011, to relocating to New York in 2014 to work for Danny Meyers Union Square Hospitality Group as General Manager of the flag ship restaurant The Modern, where he led the team to achieve their second Michelin Star.
Dedicated to helping other hospitality establishments overcome challenges and drive growth, Simon launched his own hospitality consultancy – Igniting Hospitality – in May 2020, followed by his own Gastropub, The Victoria Oxshott, in summer 2021.
Since launching both businesses, Simon has helped multiple pubs and restaurants refine operations and accelerate growth, while his own Surrey-based establishment has become an award-winning eatery and flagged as ‘one to watch’ under the top 50 best gastropubs.
Discussing his latest achievements, Simon King said: “Over the last few years I have worked incredibly hard to launch and develop both Igniting Hospitality and The Victoria Oxshott, so to reap the reward of helping other establishments improve customer experience and drive growth, while being awarded not one but three AA rosettes is just amazing.
This, of course, would not be possible without the help and support of my growing team for which I am very grateful. I now look forward to grabbing 2023 by the horns, working through the challenges felt across the industry and ensuring that The Victoria and my own clients come out stronger as a result.”
An active member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Simon boasts a genuine passion for nurturing and mentoring the next generation in hospitality and is committed to making Front of House roles as valuable and attractive as Head Chef positions.
For more information, visit: https://thevictoriaoxshott.com/https://ignitinghospitality.com.
