“Last orders!”
StephenMoss CBE, founder and Chairman of the Springboard Charity grew BCP intothe country largest airport parking booking service. But it is his timeas Director of his family’s restaurant, Drakes at Pond Place, thatStephen helped change the face of hospitality.
Stephen was at the forefront of a movement, alongside other notable hospitality figures, that drove through a private members bill that became UK law. Impressive and so seldom achieved, it was a campaign driven by utter belief in doing what was best for the sector.
Stephenowned and ran Drakes at Pond Place in Chelsea from the late 1970s to1988 and was then a director and shareholder with AntonyWorrall-Thompson, Richard Shepherd and Roy Ackerman CBE in One NinetyQueen’s Gate. It was during his time at the Michelin rated Drakesrestaurant that Stephen realised that customers didn’t want to eatthroughout the day because they couldn’t drink alcohol after 2pm.Wanting to extend the hours and increase the numbers, Stephen set aboutensuring “Last orders!” was only called come end of the day.
“Lastorders was 2pm back then and that meant our customers didn’t want alate lunch at the restaurant if they couldn’t drink any hooch. So, a fewof us including Robert Carrier OBE, then Chairman of The RestaurantAssociation of Great Britain, and Roy Ackerman came together and decidedto try and change the law. We looked at the pavement cafes of Europeand saw the advantages of extending drinking laws.”
“So we rallied others to support the bill and join us on a march to 10 Downing Street.”
Thealcohol consumption laws at the time were an overhang from the FirstWorld War when Parliament believed mid afternoon drinking couldinterfere with the war effort. Under the Defence of the Realm Actdrinking was allowed over luncheon and then again for supper; 6:30pm to10:30pm.
Stephen, with his legal training knew they had more than a chance of success if they took a slightly different route to pushing a Private Member’s Bill through.
“We went through the Lords to begin with and Viscount Montgomery of Alamein introduced the bill. Once it got through, we then had the young MP Robert Banks lined up to present the bill in the Commons. We had to wait for a day when a certain well-known teetotal MP was not sitting and then took our chance and it got through and became law.”
It wasn’tall easy for Stephen and his colleagues, it’s very rare that PrivateMembers’ bills become law. He needed strong publicity around an issue toaffect the legislation indirectly. This is exactly what they did.
“Itwas incredible watching the draftsman write up the bill specificallyfor the restaurant sector in that it would only permit alcohol to beserved throughout the day with a meal. So we rallied others to supportthe bill and join us on a march to 10 Downing Street. Alongside manychefs and restauranteurs, we marched on 2nd April 1985 in ourchef whites with Robert Carrier leading the way. We held up signs whichread “The Victorians had more liberated drinking laws in their day!”and “Let’s get into the 20th century before its over!” There were around 200 of us and it really was huge fun.”
“Itcreated a fundamental change which directly impacted on traditionalsplit service shifts. No longer did the teams have to work lunch, take along break and then work the evening again. There was much moreflexibility all round. It paved the way for legislative change toremove the requirement for meals to be served with alcohol so that thepub sector could then benefit. If there was any fear over what thechange would bring, we were the example that it was all positive. Italso naturally increased profitability of restaurants. It was a excitingtime and we really celebrated afterwards.”
“I never cease to be amazed by the spark of light you see.”
Stephenshares this story today with the same enthusiasm he had back then andits just one of the many fine examples of where he has achieved positivechange for the hospitality industry. In 1990, following a request bythe London Tourist Board to help address the hospitality skills shortagein London, he helped found and remains Chairman of Springboard, acharity which promotes careers in hospitality, leisure, travel andtourism.
In the 1980s Stephen was frustrated that English foodwasn’t celebrated and couldn’t attract English front of house employeesbecause they didn’t find the sector exciting. It was therefore a naturalalignment for him to help create the charity which was officiallylaunched by then employment secretary Michael Howard in 1990 and held acentral London location for for 21 years “on a peppercorn rent.” TodaySpringboard goes into schools and colleges, develops skills and supportssustainable employment.
When asked what keeps driving him,Stephen simply says, “I never cease to be amazed by the spark of lightyou see when someone from a disadvantaged or unemployed background isgiven the chance to change their life around. Building or re-buildingconfidence through skills training and then watching someone fly is sofulfilling.”
This is clearly the fuel that makes Stephen continueto strive for greatness for the industry. He achieved real change bypushing through a law which has had reverberating positive impacts forthe hospitality sector ever since. Stephen is a fine example of wheresomeone, through sheer hard work and belief, can make real and powerfulchange.