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The Tom Kerridge Group has announced it has made two key promotions within the group, with Matthew O’Connor promoted to Business Development and Guest Relations director and Blaine Whiteside promoted to restaurant director at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill.
O’Connor’s appointment comes as the six-strong restaurant group looks to focus more on guest experience. In his new role, he will be responsible for the coordination and delivery of high-quality services for all guests within the business.
The group said he will ensure the guest journey throughout each venue is optimised and will “seek out opportunities to elevate the experience further”. He will also provide coaching and training to staff on guest relations and implement a strategic approach to improve customer care.
O’Connor, who has been with The Tom Kerridge Group since 2018, joined as part of the openings team for Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, where he rose from deputy restaurant director to restaurant director in less than two years.
He brings a “wealth” of hospitality experience to the role, having previously worked at Dinner by Heston, The Modern in NYC with Danny Meyer and at the Savoy Grill.
Meanwhile, Whiteside has been promoted from deputy restaurant director to restaurant director at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill. He first moved from Manchester to open the site alongside O’Connor in 2018, and will now oversee the operation of the site.
Tom Kerridge said: “I’m delighted to announce both Matthew’s and Blaine’s promotions, they are both key team members within the business and their hospitality insight is invaluable. I will be working more closely with Matthew as he will be across all the businesses so we can build a stronger guest experience for the future.”
O’Connor added: “I am incredibly excited and I’m looking forward to my new role within the business. The teams up and down the group are incredibly talented and I can’t wait to be working more closely with them to continue to build the reputation of The Tom Kerridge Group.”
Whiteside concluded: “I’m excited to be taking the helm at Kerridge’s Bar and Grill and look forward to leading the dedicated team into an exciting new chapter.”
