Name Nicky Hedley
Occupation Owner of Brighton Regency Routemaster
Nicky and the Regency Routemaster have recently won the BRAVO Award for best afternoon tea in Brighton.
Please can you share a whistle-stop tour of your career?
Following a degree in Law I worked in Event Management for 12 years in London and Brighton before being made redundant, working as a waitress for a year and then taking over the Brighton Regency Routemaster : )
Describe your job in three words:
Exhausting, Exciting and Happy
What has been your philosophy that has seen the successful development of your career?
I always have an idea of where I want to go, or what I want to do next, and adapt my plans to take opportunities that present themselves with both hands!
How and when did you train in hospitality, was there a particular reason for this career path?
I didn’t have any formal training in hospitality but I started my first job as a KP and then waitress when I was 14….for £2.50 per hour! Hospitality roles saw me through school and university. After this when I was working in Event Management I hadn’t really planned to come back to the industry but when covid changed my career path and the opportunity to take over BRR came up I discovered how much I still enjoyed it!
Favourite aspect of the job?
Meeting and talking to customers and getting to provide people with happy experiences and memories
What excites you most about your role?
The variety of opportunities available and paths I could take the business down. The future is exciting!
The toughest aspect of your job?
Bouncing back after receiving a negative review. It’s hard to accept that this will happen from time to time and not to take it too much to heart.
Is there a moment in your career that stands out above the rest?
Putting together a £2.5M event in Dubai for 1000 people in just under 2 months. It was the most intense period of working I’ve ever had but I realised I could trust my instincts and actually excel under pressure.
What Nicky Hedley most proud of?
Having the courage to take a chance on running my own company despite not knowing how it will turn out – risky but hopefully rewarding!
What has been your biggest challenge?
Having so many roles to play in the company and finding time to do everything – as a small business I do everything from the actual serving, marketing and sales, finance to all aspects of operations. It definitely takes some getting used to.
Do you have a go to or failsafe plate of comfort food?
Ramen! I could quite easily eat it three times a day : )