Vibes

Vibes... What does it even mean?

We can all agree that it’s an overused word—especially in restaurant reviews and marketing campaigns—that makes some of us cringe.  But the truth is, we all know exactly what it means. And let’s be honest, the alternatives don’t quite fit…ambience sounds old-fashioned, and atmosphere feels a bit clinical

One of the 2 best books on hospitality (not a crowded field to be fair) is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.  Charting his journey from working under Danny Meyer (who wrote the other best book on hospitality) to leading Eleven Madison Park to 3 Michelin stars and the title of Best Restaurant in the World over the course of 11 years!

One of his key messages is that hospitality is about so much more than just the food on the plate or the wine in the glass.  What really matters is how you make people feel and, like it or not, vibes play a big part in that

There are many little details that matter…

Is the lighting warm and low or bright and stark?What’s on the walls?How are the staff?Is there music, and how loud is it? Ultimately though, it comes down to the question: How does it feel when you walk into the room and how does it feel when you’re sitting at your table?

Before we opened Wilson’s, we spent a lot of time talking about this. And the feeling we kept coming back to was the classic bistro vibe—tightly packed tables, candlelight, art on the walls, music in the background… all layered with the hum of restaurant chatter and the (cliche alert) clinking of glasses!

So, as we approach the end of our first year were reflecting that some of our proudest moments so far have been those step-back-and-take-it-all-in moments

When you look around during a busy service and realise that, by and large, we’ve created exactly the feeling we set out to - a space that’s welcoming, lively, and full of that unmistakable restaurant buzz!