Restaurants ‘subsidised’ by staff working unpaid overtime, says MasterChef winner Gary Maclean

A leading chef has called for the hospitality sector to change its ways when it comes to the working hours of its staff
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MasterChef winning restaurateur Gary Maclean has called for the hospitality industry to change in the wake of the pandemic.

During the lockdown many chefs were either placed on furlough or were working reduced hours, which meant they were spending more time at home with their families, potentially for the first time ever.

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Now that they have become aware of what they’ve been missing, Maclean hopes the industry will start to work with chefs so they can have a life outside of work.

"I’m hoping that the public now realise the cost of dining out,” Maclean said on the latest episode of the Scran podcast.

“For too long chefs and front-of-house have been subsidising the food for the customer. It’s subsidised by staff working more hours than they are getting paid for."

On the podcast host Rosalind Erskine and Maclean also talk about his 30 years’ experience of opening kitchens all across Scotland and how he has recently opened his own restaurant for the first time ever.

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His new venture, Creel Caught, is a seafood restaurant based in the trendy community dining space at Bonnie and Wild in the St James Quarter in Edinburgh.

Scran is available wherever you get your podcasts – just search for ‘Scran’ - or listen to the latest episode below:

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You can also subscribe to Scran on Spotify or Apple.

Scran is a Laudable production, produced by Kelly Crichton.

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