A unique Christmas assignment and a truly remarkable event!
We all got excited when Lucas and Joe, the founders of The Glam Clam called up our office back in November and asked if we were interested to participate in this inspiring project – the first of the series of eccentric pop-up dining events in London, the official launch of the brand ‘The Glam Clam’. Without hesitation, we said ‘yes’. Apart from having the pleasure to serve the amazing 5-course seafood menu created by a popular chef and food writer Gizzi Erskine to the seductive tunes of live jazz by Collette Cooper and Ronnie Scott musicians, we saw a tremendous opportunity – to prove that we could handle an event of such a scale and importance flawlessly. And so the preparation started…
Face-to-face meetings with the client
We see ourselves as an extension of your business and believe that any fruitful collaboration and, as a result a successful event, starts with getting to know a client and understanding their goals, values and expectations. Several face-to-face meetings were arranged with The Glam Clam founders to get a very detailed brief about the pop-up event and help them with the organisation. It was their first time, and unsurprisingly anxious, Lucas and Joe were very happy to get an expert piece of advice from us on catering equipment hire, numbers of staff, style of food service and table plan.
Christmas party menu tasting
Perhaps, the most pleasant perk of our job.
Those tender New England crab cakes were melting in our mouth, while gorgeously looking and deliciously tasting Christmas Mess almost made us forget why we all had gathered there.
We discussed the possible dietary requirements of The Glam Clam guests and how the chefs were going to address them, helped to choose serving dishes and drafted the look of the tables at each course.
Site visits
We also visited the venue a number of times to get the feel for the place and sort out the logistics of food service. Iconic North London music room, The Dome, was planned to be transformed into a jazz club reminiscent of the speakeasy cocktail bars of an Atlantic city in the 1920’s.
Having been told that we wouldn’t have access to the venue before the first performance day, we decided that in addition to setting up the venue in the morning we would give the decorators’ team a hand with dressing up the hall, so that the client would be rest assured everything would be finished on time.
Nothing is too much of a trouble!
Tip: The Dome has also got a lovely room downstairs with a sound system, dance floor and a bar available for hire for only £300+VAT a day. We thought it could be a perfect setting for a DIY wedding or a birthday/anniversary celebration. Contact the management team for details. They are a very friendly and helpful bunch.
Pop-up Christmas event staff
The Glam Clam were expecting around 120 guests each night, so we agreed on the following Salt&Pepper crew:
One Supervisor
The captain of the ship, whose main responsibilities included but were not limited to:
- creating the order of service and making sure everything was run according to the agreed specifications;
- designing functional subteams on the floor and back of the house and encouraging ongoing communication between them;
- working closely with the kitchen, alerting the chefs about any dietary requirements, changes to the table plan and informing them about the time of each course service;
- meeting and greeting the guests and showing them to their tables
Two Mixologists
In addition to the wonderful food and music, The Glam Clam guests were treated to a great choice of innovative cocktails. From Glamaretto Sour to Toffee Apple Tini, our skillful mixologists made a truly glamorous performance behind the bar.
Twelve Table Waiters
A waiter or a waitress was assigned to each table to ensure that the guests were properly looked after. Dancing was surely not one of their duties, but some of the staff couldn’t hold it but join the fun…
Five Runners
They say the most hard work remains behind the curtains. That was certainly true at this event. Our back of the house team members managed to keep the smile while running up and down the stairs with dishes and preventing any cock-ups at the clearing station.
They also sorted, dried and polished all the plates and cutlery at the end of each night to be ready for the morning. Hard work indeed!
One Cashier
Having agreed on the tab system, we needed someone with a bright and clear mind to take care of the finances. Luckily, it’s not a scarce resource in our team.
The glamorous outcome of The Glam Clam Christmas Party
All 5 nights were a tremendous success with social media bursting with pictures and compliments on the show, food and service. The Glam Clam Christmas party got coverage in Time Out, Evening Standard, DeBrief, Visit London, Grazia, MailOnline and OK! Lucas and Joe were very emotional when thanking the whole Salt&Pepper team for helping them to successfully launch the dream of their life, The Glam Clam enterprise, and asked us to continue working with them in the future.
It’s all been all truly glamorous, and we can’t but look forward to doing it all over again!