We’re all knowalls. Everybody thinks that they know better how to run organisations, make decisions, manage people, than those already doing it. The best example is government. Just read the letters pages of the ‘papers or the comments on their websites and you’ll see that most of us think that those in charge know nothing; or at most not as much as us.

Or, even better, go to a football match. Every person watching the game knows better than the coach as to how the team should be picked and managed. It’d be interesting to see what would happen if the manager suddenly turned around and said: “Ok guys, here’s the team, you get on with it. I’m going down the pub”.

But here’s a thing. I always thought that I knew how to run a restaurant better than those already doing it. In my previous career, I’d sat in restaurants for hours, days even, watching how they were getting it wrong, knowing that I could do it better. I guess that the difference here was that I was that metaphorical supporter to whom the coach handed the football team. Because I went and started my own football team - or restaurant as you’d call it.

You might think I was then in for a shock but that’s not entirely true. Because I went and gained some experience by working voluntarily in restaurants around the country and it was during that process that I got over my shocks. And there were a number; not least the appalling way in which staff were employed. But I think a lot’s changed over the last 20 years, despite the image put about by the likes of Gordon Ramsay.

So I set off on my journey, sometimes listening but often ignoring the advice of people that were watching me, while I learnt the skills of managing an à la carte restaurant. And after a number of years, I began to believe that I knew more than the average man in the street and started to consider myself a restaurateur with an element of expertise.

So it’s interesting to hear the comments of those who know that, over the last couple of years, we’ve taken the company into catering for large events. 18 months ago, we were appointed by Peterlee Town Council as the caterers for the lovely Shotton Hall wedding and banqueting venue. And a few months ago we were invited to operate, and cater for, the brand new Seaham Town Hall. Now, apart from the fact that at Seaham we’re not just catering, as we are at Shotton Hall, but marketing and operating the Town Hall’s hospitality services, both venues can host up to at least 300 people for a banquet. And it’s interesting to hear that most people think that catering for that many people must be a nightmare.

Well it’s not. In fact, compared with running a 100 cover restaurant as we do in Durham, or even a 50 cover restaurant as I used to do in Barnard Castle, it’s actually a lot easier. That’s not to say that running a larger event doesn’t present its unique problems. It’s just that the cooking part’s so much easier to plan and implement.

Think about it. You’re coming to our restaurant with your partner and two friends on a Saturday evening and you’ve booked your table for eight o’clock. But because you’ve stopped for a quick pint on the way there, and then there was some difficulty in finding a parking space, you don’t actually arrive until 8:15. But that’s ok because you can choose quickly and get things back on track. But that doesn’t account for the people that were booked for 8:15 who turn up on time, or late, or early, who expect to be treated the same way as you - as you have every right to.

Anyway, we’ve taken your coats, got you sitting down, served you a drink and you’ve got your menus in front of you. But you’re in a particularly good mood tonight and you’ve got some great stories to tell. So, when the waiter comes to ask for your order, you ask for a couple of more minutes which, if you’re like me, will stretch into another ten and you wonder why the waiter’s hovering.

But then you come to order and, because you all like your food, you make sure you all get different dishes - just so you can each try each other’s. But then one of your party remembers his allergy and asks for one of his starter’s ingredients to be replaced but that’s ok because we can do that. Then another asks for one of the ingredients in her dish to be replaced with one from another dish and two of you, who are having steaks, want them cooked completely differently. But again, that’s ok, because that’s what we do and it’s what you want.

Soon your starters arrive and you all tuck in. But your stories are just getting better and better, no doubt helped by the wine and the atmosphere, and you really are dawdling over your dish - and because you chose a cold starter, it’s not as if you have to eat it whilst it’s hot.

That’s when the chefs start to ask the waiting staff how long your table’s going to be before the main courses can be sent out because they’re now already cooked and in danger of spoiling. But at last they go out and hopefully everybody’s happy until the whole thing starts again with desserts.

And, of course, this same scenario is happening at 30 or more other tables in the restaurant all at the same time. Every table is a separate dinner party with its own timings and desires which all impinges on the operation of the restaurant and has to be catered for.

Compare this with catering for 300 people who all arrive at the same time and generally eat the same meal at the same time all with timings decided by ourselves. As long as you’ve got the right equipment in the kitchen, it’s a different world from an à la carte restaurant.

But if you think you can do it better, give me a call. I’ve got a job for you.