It’s safe to say that hospitality is nestled within everybody’s hearts, playing an important role in one way or another. Whether it’s through the fond memories of celebrating a birthday, heading to the local pub to reconnect with old friends or whether it’s where you learnt the true value of tip money for those all-important cocktails that weekend.
As the Spanish bean of the team, I have known from close experience what hospitality means and what it brings to our everyday life. Spain receives every summer millions of tourists from abroad who are welcomed with open arms and who we take care of the very best way possible, providing them with one of the best food and drink experiences available.
What a hell of a year we have all had, the ups & downs, the isolation and the lockdowns. We have all suffered in one way or another. Hospitality took a big hit during the lockdowns, with the closures, tier systems and curfews being introduced, making it harder for them to do what they do best.
When anyone entered my Nana’s house she would always ask them three questions. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Are you warm enough? For those of us lucky enough to have known her, they will concur that this dedication to great hospitality was just one of the reasons she was so loved. Any answer in the affirmative was followed by mountains of scones, toast, pots of tea and fruit cake arriving on hastily arranged occasional tables. Keeping people well fed and watered has always been, and will always be one of the most fundamental ways to care for the wellbeing of those around you, and that sense of satisfaction lives long in the memory.
Having spent quite a few years of my life working in pubs and restaurants, the hospitality industry is one I hold close to my heart. The past year and a half has been hard for many of us including the hospitality industry so hearing about Hospitality Action’s 2021 To Hell and Back challenge, I along with many others from the jellybean team decided it was time to give back and pledge a few miles to help raise money for the hospitality industry.
