International Women’s Day – Liz’s Story and Life in Hospitality
Please introduce your name, your current position, and your venue.
My name is Liz Nugent. I’m the General Manager of the Tap Tavern in Richmond. I’ve been here for a year, and before that, I was with Fullers for around 12 years.
Can you tell us a bit about how you got started in the industry, and how that has led you to your current role?
I sort of fell into hospitality. I moved up from Bristol when I was about 19 years old having doubts about university and not finding the right path for me. My first job in hospitality was in Rileys Snooker Bar part-time and it was awful, but I loved my Manager at the time. I got really close with everyone and had a little friendship group there that I didn’t have before as I’d just moved up from Bristol and I was completely on my own. Then I found another job within Fullers and from Fullers I worked my way up from part-time bar staff who had no clue what I wanted to do in life, to find out I was actually quite good at being a Supervisor. I loved the social side of it, I loved the organisation of the floor and learning about all the beers and all the courses they put me through. I went from pub to pub going up and up and up and here we are!
What attracted you to the hospitality industry initially? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do, or did your path evolve over time?
Hospitality is a funny one, there’s this thing were people who can’t act, teach and people who can’t teach go into hospitality. I think it’s seen as a real mismatch of humans and personalities but actually, it’s really good. If you’re a little lost and you don’t know what you want to do, it can either make you think ‘Oh my goodness, I hate this’ and then you’ll find your path but it’s something you can tick off your list. On the other side, if you’re that type of personality you can really thrive off hospitality, it can give you that focus and you can hone in on those skills that you’ve been told your whole life are really useless or you’re not academic. I think the whole hospitality sector is made up of all those wonderful people who have all these skills that no one would know what to do within an academic setting. You’ll find people who have absolutely no social skills but are clever and could write a book in two days but you’ll also get people in hospitality who couldn’t do that but they make fantastic Managers and are all around fantastic at their job. That’s me, I’m really Dyslexic, I’m really good with people and I don’t like being sat in an office with every 9-5 being the same. I like it all being different. I like that I don’t know what’s coming in the door, I love it!
Were there any challenges you faced early on in your career, and if so, how did you overcome them?
So many, but nothing is easy is it? One, I think coming to terms with the fact that going into hospitality is what I really wanted to do. I’m a perfectionist, and working in a pub things go wrong every day. You’re interacting with so many different people and things that will be completely out of your control and for a personality like mine that’s really triggering and really confusing. Like when someone drives past the pub and all the windows get smashed in and somehow you’ve still got to run the pub. You can’t close it because you need to make money. I’ve got so many stories but I think just learning that you can’t always be in control of things and learning to let that go, thinking ‘My plan A is not going to work, let’s go with plan B or plan C’ and problem-solving.
I also think a major thing for me was learning to trust my gut. It’s something that took a lot of time personally, there are situations I’ve been in and I thought ‘I knew it!’ – I should have just gone with my Women’s intuition! Upon reflection thinking ‘I really
What role or position was a significant turning point for you in your career? Was there a moment when you felt like you really found your niche in the industry?
I think there were two moments. One when I was made a Supervisor in my first pub, they said ‘you’re really good’ and at that point, I hadn’t gone to university, I’d moved down to London and made a whole new friendship group because of lots of different things. I just felt really lost and they wanted me to be Supervisor and to go on this course within Fuller’s which is only available to a certain amount of people and we’ve chosen you, it did mean that I had to go on to another pub. At first, I was really nervous about going on to that next step but I was also only 21 years old, I don’t think anyone ever told me that I’m really good at something in a career situation. That was so nice to hear.
The second was in my last pub, I just felt so trapped within the mould of it and within the pub group. I didn’t feel I had the freedom to make the choices and go with my gut and do all the things that I love in a pub, I want to have a say on the food and the beers. I felt like my wings were a little bit clipped and I said to my Area Manager at the time ‘I don’t really know what to do, I feel a bit trapped here’, he said to me, off the record of course, why don’t you start to apply for other jobs and see if there’s something that is more fitted to you. Within two weeks I found this place (Tap Tavern) and I was like ‘Oh my god, this is my pub, this is perfect!’. I loved the vibe, I loved the team and as I went for the interview me and my boss sat down and spoke for around 2-3 hours. It made me think that I hadn’t had an interview like that in a very long time, it made me feel my worth so much more. Why hadn’t I done this? Why hadn’t I gone and had a conversation with someone who’s like-minded and has the same goals and loves service and all the amazing things in hospitality? I’ve never felt like that and it was really good.
How has your experience in hospitality shaped your personal growth? Have there been any lessons you’ve learned along the way that have impacted other areas of your life?
God, yes! Working in pubs and hospitality is completely my personality now, it has been my whole adult life. I’ve always been a bit blunt, sometimes that comes in handy… or not. Me and hospitality come as one. There are loads of helpful things, I’m very knowledgeable about bookings with my family, and I can always help organise events and find itineraries. People will sometimes say ‘Is that too much trouble?’, and it’s not. That’s fun for me. That’s definitely from doing it daily. Everyone also asks me ‘Where shall I go out to eat, any recommendations?’, it’s nice to be the go-to person for what’s going on and what’s cool in the industry, I love that and I love going out! When I was younger I was out most nights, I’d put all my money together knowing I could only afford one bottle of wine, which comes from hospitality and having fun at work. Why not?
Do you have any advice or tips for other women who are interested in beginning or growing a career in hospitality?
I think one, always go with your gut. If something feels wrong, don’t feel trapped. Don’t settle for the mundane every day, get out, and see what else is out there.
Always have fun in your life, life is far too short to not enjoy what you are doing. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lots of people become high up in hospitality and they can forget why they did it in the first place, once upon a time they were a part-time bar girl who didn’t know what to do and had no friends. Remember you can achieve whatever you want to do but chill out and don’t worry too much, you can do it!