The UK's fastest growing hospitality business received a special award in recognition for its workplace training.
Black and White Hospitality, the business set up by renowned chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White, was presented the Princess Royal Training Award (PRTA) by HRH The Princess Royal at a special event held at St James' Palace.
The awards were established by global skills development body City & Guilds Group and recognise employers with outstanding training and development programmes that have had a direct impact on business performance.
Attending the event was Black and White Hospitality Chairman and CEO Nick Taplin alongside Jennie Mackenzie, who is head of training, and development and Brandie Deignan, managing director.
Subject to a rigorous assessment process Black and White Hospitality was recognised because it displayed exceptional dedication to training, upskilling and reskilling of its workforce. Crucially, it was able to prove that the training had a substantial impact on its organisation and people.
Jennie Mackenzie, Head of Training and Development for Black and White Hospitality said: "It was an amazing experience to attend this special occasion and we are all absolutely delighted to receive this award. It really is down to the dedication of the support team at Black and White Hospitality and our teams within the Marco Pierre White franchised restaurants and their commitment to training and development.
"In what is an extremely transient industry, the Black and White Hospitality training programme has been developed to be accessible and interactive. Following the training programme, both mystery diner scores and guest satisfaction responses have improved across the business and is a great indication of training that has been successful and works."
Set up by Nick Taplin and Marco Pierre White in 2013, Black and White Hospitality operates close to 50 MPW franchised restaurants across the UK which includes eight distinct concepts and employs over 2000 people across the group.
Nick added: "This has been an incredible journey and to rub shoulders with some of the country's biggest businesses shows how far Black and White Hospitality has come in a relatively short period of time.
"To receive this award is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the whole Black and White team. We're in the business of selling a night out and staff training forms a vital element of achieving that. In these more difficult trading times, it is so important to be at the top of your game with training and Jennie, without question, ensures that.
"Jennie has worked tirelessly to put in place training programmes that focus on service and this is reflected in the improvement in guest responses. As we approach our 50th venue, ongoing training will ensure we remain ahead of the curve when it comes to maintaining the standards our customers come to expect."
Commenting on this year's recipients and ceremony Chris Jones, Chief Executive of the City and Guilds Group, said: "The Princess Royal Training Awards are a highlight of the year, as we come together to celebrate the outstanding work of businesses around the country who put learning and development firmly at the top of their agenda. The remarkable employers we recognised last night demonstrate the power that comes from investing in people and training as a vehicle to strengthen organisations and open up opportunities for people.
"We hope that business leaders everywhere will be inspired by the efforts of this year's PRTA recipients and go the extra mile to ensure their workforce is fit for the future."
