Martin Williams’ hospitality career began at Gaucho as General Manager, where his exceptional performance led to rapid promotion to Operations Director after successfully opening three new locations and doubling the flagship venue’s turnover to £8.6M.
Following nine successful years at Gaucho, Martin’s entrepreneurial vision led him to establish his own restaurant group. He created and launched the innovative M venues, which became renowned as groundbreaking hospitality destinations that set unprecedented quality standards.
In 2018, Martin returned to lead Gaucho, merging his successful M venues into the company to create Rare Restaurants. Martin now applies his extensive expertise and proven track record to his current role as CEO of The Evolv Collection, where he continues to drive innovation and excellence in the hospitality sector.
New Yorkers can enjoy one of his restaurants, Queens Tavern, in Hudson Yards. Blending “British character with a distinctly New York energy” Queens Tavern, part of The Evolve Collection, is great for an after-work pint or an evening out with a significant other or friends.
What first interested you in your area of the hospitality industry?
What attracted me to hospitality was the fact that no two days are ever the same. It’s one of the few industries where you can combine business, creativity, design, food, culture and, most importantly, people.
At its heart, hospitality is about bringing people together. Whether it’s a celebration, a first date, a business lunch or simply a catch-up with friends, restaurants play a small part in some of life’s most memorable moments. I’ve always found that incredibly rewarding.
Who are a few of the people that have encouraged your career?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some brilliant people throughout my career. Sir Terence Conran’s influence has certainly been significant. His vision changed the way people thought about restaurants in Britain, creating spaces that were as much about design, culture and experience as they were about food.
I was also inspired by both reading and meeting Danny Mayer. His obsessive passion for delivering heightened hospitality has been a daily inspiration for decades.
That said, I’ve learned just as much from the people I’ve worked alongside every day. Hospitality is an industry built on teamwork, and I’ve learned as much from chefs, managers, and frontline team members as I have from executives. Great leaders never stop learning from the people around them.
What challenges do you think people face in your industry?
It’s certainly not an easy environment at the moment. Rising costs, economic uncertainty and evolving consumer expectations mean hospitality businesses have to be more agile than ever.
However, ultimately, hospitality remains a people business. Recruiting, developing, and retaining great talent will always be one of our most important responsibilities. Our passion to create an engaged family of high performing individuals makes our restaurants in the Evolv Collection an inspiring environment.
Can you cite a few accomplishments that have given you great pride and elevated your work?
I’ve been fortunate to receive some wonderful recognition over the years. Recently, I was honored to be named Most Innovative Hospitality Group CEO at the European CEO of the Year Awards and to see our business recognized among the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UK.
Earlier in my career, I was also named one of the Sunday Times Top 100 UK Entrepreneurs and received awards including Best Restaurant at the Catey Awards, Best New Restaurant by Restaurant Magazine.
I’m also incredibly proud of the businesses and teams I’ve been part of building. From helping grow Gaucho, to founding M Restaurants, to leading Rare Restaurants and now The Evolv Collection.
What piece of advice can you lend to others who are considering a career such as yours?
Be curious and embrace every opportunity to learn.
The hospitality industry rewards people who combine hard work with humility and a willingness to grow. Some of the most successful leaders I know started in entry-level roles like myself and built their careers one step at a time.
Everyone who works in hospitality has a story to tell about something incredible that happened on the job. What’s one that you often tell?
Growing and founding M Restaurants from a building site to an £8m exit was an incredible journey with equal measures of fear of failure and the joy of success. It included royalty, political leaders, death threats and an approach to become a Russian spy. There are many stories…
What do you hope people understand about those who work in your area of hospitality?
I think people sometimes underestimate just how much skill goes into great hospitality because, when it’s done well, it looks effortless.
Behind every great restaurant experience is a team of people who are constantly thinking ahead, solving problems and looking after guests. It requires resilience, creativity, emotional intelligence and an enormous amount of hard work.
What makes hospitality special is that people genuinely care. The vast majority of those working in the industry are here because they enjoy looking after others and creating memorable experiences.
Is there anything else you want Woman Around Town readers to know?
I think we’re living in a time when genuine human connection has never been more valuable.
People can order almost anything to their door or interact through a screen, but restaurants still provide something that technology can’t replicate: the opportunity to come together.
That’s what continues to excite me about hospitality and about The Evolv Collection. We are fortunate to be custodians of some truly iconic brands, and our job is to honour their heritage while ensuring they remain relevant and exciting for generations to come.
For more information, go to Queens Tavern and Evolv Collection
Photo Credit: Evolv Collectionr
