The Secrets of Sallyanne’s Success
The door to success is always labelled push
I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Sallyanne Clarke, co-owner and previous proprietor of the Michelin star restaurant ‘l’Écrivain Restaurant, where we discussed her passion for hospitality, the most important elements of the industry and the challenges it faces. She brought me on a journey throughout her multifaceted career and the impact of her parents as exceptional role models
The Shopkeepers Daughter
Sallyanne’s journey begins in Chicago where she lived as a child for several years. On return from the US both her parents founded businesses in the retail industry. Her mother opened a boutique whilst her dad owned al newsagent shop. Sallyanne was in her own words ‘shopkeeper’s daughter’, and it is evident how deeply proud she is of her parents. A strong work ethic was instilled in her & all her siblings from a young age working behind the counter. This work ethic formed the catalyst for all of Sallyanne’s further successes in business. Growing up Sallyanne and her siblings were also encouraged, supported and formed a belief that anything was possible. Sallyanne’s commitment and diligence was evident at an early age. As a child Sallyanne really wanted to play an instrument in the orchestra, having not been proficient enough at the piano she learned another instrument, the cello, and did get to play in the orchestra! Sallyanne’s mother also encouraged her to put herself out and was often told ‘the door to success is labelled push’. This turn of phrase is compelling and set the tone for all her further endeavours. At the age of 15, Sallyanne began work as a disk jockey on a local radio station for many years. On another station she became a newsreader, all while working a full tie job and studying. She also modelled successfully, having started young showcasing the fashion at her mother’s boutique where she learned about style and presentation. Her parents also believed in the value of education, to quote her father Des ‘education is no load to carry’ Sallyanne studied Marketing & Business and studied for the Insurance exams, eventually running her own insurance brokerage.
When Sallyanne met Derry
Sallyanne and Derry were married in October 1987, when Derry was head chef at the Bon Appetit Restaurant in Ballsbridge.
Derry’s dream was always to establish a restaurant and in July 1987 both he and Sallyanne opened their first restaurant l’Écrivain in the basement of Fitzwilliam guest house on Lower Baggot Street.
Alongside her husband Derry, Sallyanne said they have been very lucky to have had such a successful business for 32 years. We got our first Michelin Star in 2002 and we kept it continuously until we closed in 2021. The Clarkees were also involved in a wide range of ventures over the years which provided them with the opportunity to gain clear insight and understanding of all aspects of hospitality. They had other business such as their l’Ecrivain outside catering, for both private and corporate events, a causal restaurant ‘Parkers’, C-Bar – a Fish restaurant in the city centre. They also catered for the Corporate Tents at ‘Taste of Dublin’ for many years and ‘At the Manor’ in Palmerstown House during Covid. Great experiences and wonderful memories.
People Focused
The most important element in this business are its people, your customers and employees and the treatment of both is paramount to the success of any business in any industry. She learned from a young age how to work with people, how to treat people and how to handle difficulties and differences. Throughout her career the treatment of the team – be they front of house, kitchen or housekeeping – who work together is of upmost importance. Their business always had a very low turnover of staff, and Sallyanne attributes this to the terms and conditions more so than the salary.
“People are people, and it is how you engage with your team that is key. We could never have achieved what we did all on our own. I feel I am good at reading people and situations, as is Derry, and have an understanding that people have various other things going on in their lives. So, I work with them and see what their needs are and how we can address them. There is no ‘I’ in TEAM. With people, I am a firm believer that what you give out you get back 10-fold in most cases”
Running and managing a Michelin star restaurant, takes a lot of work and dedication, and the priority was to offer wonderful food with a customer focused service which will in turn created a positive customer experience. The restaurant & hospitality business involves compiling a whole package experience, and attention to detail is key. Any issues are resolved by interacting with customers and where necessary offering extras or alternatives. Sallyanne stressed the importance of handling complaints successfully when running a business in hospitality
Hospitality as a Career
One of the major challenges that the industries has faced in recent years is the decline in the number of young people pursing hospitality as a career. This is partly due to long standing pre-conceptions around work/life balance, low pay and work conditions. Businesses within the industry have been actively attempting to address these issues and progress in being made all be it slowly.The introduction of a four-day roster is definitely a start. Sallyanne has lobbied for many years to try introducing a nationwide hospitality program for transition year students and understands the importance of challenging these pre-conceptions and creating a better work environment and work/life balance. She values progression within the industry and believes much can be done to support apprenticeships, hospitality introductory courses and further education.
“I believe that every young person should gain experience in hospitality, whether it is is a bar, a kitchen, front of house, or housekeeping . Should they every want to travel and work anywhere in this country or abroad, they will always be able to work. If they want to travel in their college years, they will never be short of a job. Hospitality trancends language and culture and It is a craft/trade that can take you all around the world. Also, they will learn about life, how people treat them and how they want to be treated. We always took care of our trainees, especially those students from Catering Institutes around the world, and we would make sure they had somewhere to stay. Sometimes we took them home with us too.
We always believed in investing in our Team. If you invest in someone you will get it back in loyalty and commitment.
The Roar of the Celic Tiger
Sallyanne asserts that she has never shied from a challenge and discusses some of the challenges faced in the past and presently. The Celtic Tiger, with all its opulence and extravagance, brought its own challenges in the restaurant industry with some customers displaying an arrogance and belligerent attitude. This was a learning curve, as the team learned how to handle customers issues, how to speak up and stand your ground and ensure acceptable treatment of all members of staff.
In the Celtic tiger stays there were different challenges such as in some cases a group would book tables in four different restaurants for the same evening. Then they would decide at the last minute in the pub over a pre-dinner drink which restaurant they would actually go to. This left three or more other restaurants with empty tables. Eventually, all the restaurants in the area got together and decided if the group did not engage, We had limited success to eradicate this behaviour, but I hear it is happening still.
Sallyanne believes that that there should be legislation in place to avoid business in the industry suffering this type of scenario and an insistence that deposits should be mandatory and non-refundable with credit card companies backing up this practice. After all
“If you are willing to pay in advance whether you show up or not for an airline or theatre seat, then you should pay half deposit for restaurants, especially with larger groups”
There are many other challenges in the industry at present, the VAT increase of 50% bringing the rate to 13.5%, has been the most challenging. Sallyanne thinks this increased rate is causing a lot of financial devastation for hospitality and service-based businesses and has resulted in many closersures, while at same time the industry is also grappling with increased energy rates, food prices, insurance costs, etc. . Once again, the government have a major role to play in changing this and I hope it will be addressed in the next Budget.
The Brightest Star fades the Quickest
Sallyanne is involved in many charities, including The Rape Crisis Centre as Chairperson of their Christmas fundraising lunch. Both herself & Derry have been involved with Pieta House and other Teen charities.
Since the passing of her beloved son Andrew, she has campaigned tirelessly against the language used and stigma that still surrounds suicide.
Andrew would be 28 now. No one should ever have to bury their child. It is not the natural course of events. Losing a child is like being part of a club you never wanted to join. There is still a huge stigma around suicide, and this is so unfortunate. Andrew was a charmer, a larger than ife character and everybody loved him. But as they say ‘brightest stars fade the quickest”
Their daughter, Sarah May is now married to the lovely James. She is amazing and doing so very well for herself. She worked in the restaurant along with Andrew, and it was so lovely and rewarding to see how well they worked together. Those were the days that all four of us would go to work together on a Friday & Saturday as they wanted to earn a few bob. Sarah May with her degree in Marketing and Events has worked all over the world. She has forged her own career in the Event Industry and has achieved a lot so far in the UK. We are very proud of her and she always says the restaurant gave her a taste for the industry.
A Career with Many Hats
Sallyanne has worn many hats throughout her career. Other roles include past Presidency of Ireland’s Blue Book, a regular columnist for DMG and panellist on Elaine afternoon talk show. Since the closure of L’Écrivain in 2021, sha has done various jobs – including Consultant Director of Food & Beverage. She has taken a few months off and is now making plans for the future. Sallyanne’s wealth of knowledge and life experience makes a career in consultancy the next step. She has been involved in various projects, some start-ups and some re-vamps. Her ambition allied with a focused work ethic and business acumen will ensure continued success in this role.
We would like to wish Sallyanne best wishes in her career moving forward!
