Anna Sebastian on branching out by herself as an F&B consultant

Why the move to consulting and what does the job actually entail?

I think I had learned everything I could have learned, so going back to being a bar manager wasn't right. I'm not saying I'd never go back, but it would have to be a really big beverage director role and, coming out of the pandemic, there just aren't roles like that – consultancy gives you flexibility.

I get asked a lot about industry positioning and branding or how to get into the ‘top 50' lists. This is the million-dollar question, but from experience I know the answer is to work on a mission statement and your service. I talk a lot about ‘invisible PR', which is what people are saying about you when you aren't there.

What do you see as the main factors bars needs help on?

I think mainly it's about creating a really good internal culture. For so long we've got away with last-minute rotas, for example, and I think we should go back to basics: the next generation has a very different outlook and the things deemed acceptable 10 or 12 years ago aren't now. It's about creating a safe place for people to work, taxis home – let's look internally; let's rebuild teams.

Can you tell me about your Celebrate Her project?

It started as one-off events, celebrating female bartenders from around the world, but the response to it kick-started the idea that it could be more than an event or a party.

It's based around growing a community and providing education, and we're in the process of registering as a charity so we can fundraise. We want to raise half a million pounds, with the majority going to women around the world to provide financial grants. Women apply for the grant, go through a screening process and we pay for a training course. Another aspect we want to work on is recruitment.

We've partnered with a US consultancy company to take it on tour, so we will take a guest bartender from, say, Paris to Miami and host a three-day event with a guest shift, a seminar and a panel and then a wellness or mindfulness activity – something that isn't drinking! We've started building a team of board members and we have a structure.

What kind of venues are you excited to start working with?

For me, it is important that I feel passionate about these venues. I gravitate more towards luxury brands, although that isn't to say I wouldn't work for a pub group. I'm currently working with Adam Handling's group – the growth of that company is amazing and it's such a unique team. I want the development of what I do to be organic.