Hospitality mums are bloody cool, aren’t they?

Kick ass Mothers who look after their families at home and work. We know all too well how challenging it can be – team Sixty Eight has 15 kids and a bump between us! Mother’s Day is all about showing appreciation, so we wanted to let all the hospo mums know how vital and loved they are.

We spoke to some of our favourite hospitality mothers about their journeys, working in the industry whilst juggling kids, and why they think mums are such an important asset on their teams. Some lovely nuggets of wisdom here, kids – remember to always listen to Mum…

“Being a manager in hospitality already gives you a head start in being a Momma as you’ve been a work mum for so long. One of the main differences is  the drink choice for your children… At the moment my girl chooses milk over tequila!

I was extremely blessed to be able to find my feet within a company that has strong values about working mums and hospitality… something I will forever be grateful for! Mowgli has given me the most amazing balance between being a woman with a strong belief in maintaining a career that I love, but also being able to spend all the precious moments with my family. I hope I’ll be able to return the love to a future mum in my team one day to keep their dreams alive. Big up to all mums and dads in hospitality out there!”

Fran Ford, Mowgli

 

“I fell pregnant a week before building started in Manchester, I was still breastfeeding through opening Liverpool, and pregnant again when building Leeds. It’s been pretty tough with lots of sacrifice, but I have a beautiful family and a thriving business. I love what I do and I’m glad I’ve been able to find a balance.

Hospitality is all about nurturing. Whether talent, creativity, culture – mums are great at that. You come back from maternity with a different perspective, and I think that allows mums to be steadier and better focused. Mums are an under-appreciated resource in our industry!”

Laura Morris, Yard and Coop

 

“I think the outdated view that motherhood and hospitality careers don’t mix unfortunately still rears its head more often than it should. Ironically, I can’t think of many industries with so much potential and resources to adapt and support the challenges a mother faces.

The team around me has always been my ‘village’ and that’s what makes hospitality so special. It’s so diverse and yet so collaborative. I’ve certainly benefited from this as a mother and my son’s world is also so much richer for it.”

Sarah Ferris-Jones, Dishoom

“I’ve worked in hospitality since uni, but only really found my passion beyond party shifts when I moved back to Manchester when I was 25. I started out in indie cocktail bars before joining Junkyard Golf, and progressed quickly to Operations. I love the company, its goals and the people who work there. I was looking after 5 busy sites before I went on maternity, and when I return in May it’ll be 6 – I missed the opening of our newest site. I was gutted to miss it, but I was 9 months pregnant. I really wanted my baby to be born a true Manc, so I stayed put, waiting for my life to change immeasurably!

Mothers are important in hospitality as we’re more than just mothers. We’re leaders, grafters, brilliantly fast and focused bartenders, socially gifted and talented hosts, committed and driven managers, and much more (on top of being the person the little ones depend on and need most). It’s going to be a tough balance going back to work, but I’m confident my years of dedication to my career, and the skills I’ve built, will help a lot.”

Kay Carroll, Junkyard Golf

“Seeing hospitality as a viable career for mums is important. Employers need to be supportive, allow mums to voice their struggles, look outside the “norm”, and adapt. Mums have empathy, patience and have mastered the art of juggling 20 things at once, so they make incredible team members!

What are the struggles? Lack of sleep! And no room for spontaneity. That extra hour you could do with staying on shift for, or the post work drink and debrief, isn’t always possible. It’s hard to leave your stresses at the door but I’m lucky that I love my job. It’s an incredibly positive environment, it’s where I can be “me” rather than “mum” for a few hours and I love that.

Work and my career was always such a big part of my identity, but I felt so much guilt coming back to work after a ‘pandemic’ maternity. I massively struggled mentally when I first came back to work – I went from looking after one child, to looking after a team of 30 at work. It took me a while to get the balance right of being a GM and a mum.

Luckily I have incredibly supportive owners, who are also parents and understand life with a toddler. I’ve now moved into an operations role with more regular working patterns, so we get more quality family time. I believe I’m way more productive and creative at work as a result. Shout out to the amazing working dads in hospo too (especially my husband)!”

Abbie Duthie, The Spirit of Manchester