In the latest in HRC's Hospitality Insights series, Mariya Ivanova, General Manager at Smiths of Smithfield, discusses inspiring teams to do their best, the return to the office and the growth of low& no. 

Tell us a bit about your business and your role

‘Smiths’ of Smithfield is a unique and exciting four floor business with multiple drinking and dining options, located in the heart of the City of London, currently having 2x of the floors with one rosettes awarded. 

My role within this business is to manage all departments, keep inline with budgets and to reach company targets, all whilst keeping customer service as a priority.  My biggest passion to date is people and inspiring them to do their job to their best ability. Marketing is my strength and innovation my focus. 

Why are you planning to attend HRC this year?

To gain inspiration and insight on current trends and of course networking. This is the third year I will be attending the show. 

How do you approach sourcing new products for your business? 

I look at what is popular and of a high quality to give my customers the best products and produce. I also like to be the first to try new things and introduce to my team and guests. 

What do you think are some of the major trends we’ll see this year in the hospitality sector? 

I think people will be returning to work across more days of the week and I think that people will attend hospitality venues more frequently. Also, this year I have focussed a lot on sustainability, healthy lifestyle, low and non alcoholic products. In The past few years we can see that this has been more and more popular options that our guest are after. 

What do you love most about working in the hospitality industry?

I love the people I meet every day and the team I work with. I love developing business to another level and people development and hospitality staff work life balance is a key to create heathy working environment where you team can do the magic for your business. 

Find out more about Smiths of Smithfield at smithsofsmithfield.co.uk.