Fresh off the furore around solo dining comes another headline grabbing restaurant drama. Last week Thomas Straker posted an image of the kitchen brigade at his eponymous Notting Hill restaurant, a move which drew swift criticism over the lack of diversity among his kitchen team.

Takes and counter-takes were quick to pile up. We know that the image doesn’t reflect the whole industry, but Insider thought perhaps it’s best to spotlight a relevant business who is doing fantastic things when it comes to championing diversity and equity in hospitality.

Be Inclusive Hospitality was founded by Lorraine Copes in 2020 as a social enterprise, aiming to promote equity, parity and diversity across the hospitality industry and importantly, throughout the hospitality supply chain.

Through Be Inclusive, Copes has coached businesses across the UK and sparked relevant discussions about how to make hospitality more reflective of wider society.

In 2022, Copes was awarded Food & Drink Innovator of the year by GQ and has since set up her own Be Inclusive Spotlight Awards, in order to “celebrate and recognise exceptional talent and achievement from Black, Asian, and ethnic minorities working within hospitality, food, and drink.”

Last year’s winners included chef Maria Bradford of Shwen Shwen and sommelier Henna Zinzuwadia of AYO Collective and Ever After Bar.

For businesses within the hospitality industry who are genuinely looking at ways of bettering their equity and diversity credentials, Be Inclusive Hospitality is an independent business doing remarkable work.

Do discover more about Be Inclusive Hospitality, click here – bihospitality.co.uk