Desperate Perthshire hotel boss offers £1,000 bonus for new chef

A Perthshire businessman is offering a £1,000 bonus to attract a new chef to his hotel.

Alan Bannerman’s family have owned and run the Red House Hotel in Coupar Angus for over 40 years.

While he is aware there is still a shortage of chefs following the pandemic, he is dismayed that he’s been so far unsuccessful in his attempts to attract a new chef to join his team.

He said: “We’ve had the job advertised for about 10 weeks. I’ve had applicants, but nobody who’s genuine and local and who would take the job on.

“We think £1,000 is a very welcome bonus. All we want is to get two or three local applicants so we’ve got a choice.

“I’m speaking to other people in the trade and it’s a problem across the board. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“We’re talking about a £30,000 job – plus tips. It’s not as if you’re offering poor money. It’s 40 hours a week, we’re not taking the mick.”

Lack of chefs a ‘serious concern’

Alan believes many chefs stepped away from the job during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I think we lost a lot of chefs,” he said. “They got their weekends back during Covid.”

Alan said he’d spoken to Dundee and Angus College, and Perth College, about getting students in to help fill his void.

“They’re saying they can’t help us because they don’t have the people on the courses.”

He said that is a concern for the long-term future of the industry.

“It’s a serious concern. If the college can’t give us people at this time of the year, that’s not good. Where do we go from here?”

Alan still has three working full-time at the hotel, but needs another to join the team.

The businessman said he hasn’t had any previous issues recruiting staff.

‘No way to run things’, says Perthshire hotel boss

Alan is having to move chefs from his other premises – Dalmore Inn & Restaurant and Number 31, both in Blairgowrie – to cover holidays and days off.

“I’m drafting people about at the moment, but that’s no way to run things,” he said. “People need to know what their shifts are and where they are working.

“We’re just going week to week and seeing who we can borrow.”