Following on from our interview with the GO Italy boys, we went on the hunt for some other interesting characters who work in the Piccadilly area. Stephen Gee, general manager at ABode Manchester, told us about two members of his staff who both ticked the ‘interesting character’ box. Aside from their apparent fear of a dictaphone, we found two thoroughly decent chaps.

France-born Charles Dobosz, manager of the Michael Caines Restaurant at ABode and James Cunningham, new manager of the recently re-branded MC Café Bar & Grill had some pretty interesting ideas..here's a snippet of the interview;

pm.com - Neither of you originate in Manchester. Did either of you have an opinion of Piccadilly before you arrived here for work?

J: As a place you do understand there are lots of businesses, particularly hotels; it’s very hotel focused and there is a broad spectrum of quality; you’ve got the budget end, the mid-price and top end with us here at ABode. I guess that’s my perception; that it’s an incredibly business-focused area. My main use of Piccadilly is either passing through the Gardens or going to the station – and in doing that I see it as a very busy, people-focused area.

C: I always believe it is a big highway to Manchester, with the train station in particular and the name Piccadilly itself is known internationally, which is a major attraction for businesses and people.

pm.com – We interviewed Michael Caines as winner of our Piccadilly Champion competition a couple of months ago; is it helpful to have his name behind the company, or is there a danger that people just view it as another celebrity chef restaurant?

C: I think it works well; it is a place to go for an occasion ‘let’s go to Michael Caines’. As it’s part of a hotel, that helps also – ABode is a lovely boutique hotel where people enjoy staying. Whether the MC food brand could stand alone, only time will tell but it’s all about quality and that’s what we have.

J: I think the perception in the city is that most people come to dine here and Michael [Caines] has worked very hard, as has the whole team here, to establish the name. You’ve got 3 very distinct products here – the MC fine dining restaurant – a destination restaurant in itself; the MC Café Bar & Grill, which rebranded earlier this year and is going some way to establish itself as an individual destination, and then there’s ABode hotel, which is more targeted at those visiting the city. There’s no doubt there are a number of people who come for the Michael Caines experience and take advantage of the special deals we do within the hotel –so far, they are all working very well together.

Be humble and not too flashy

pm.com – The Michael Caines Restaurant has received a lot of good press of late, both locally and nationally; is it difficult to not rest on your laurels?

C: the most important thing is to keep humble, not be too flashy and not too noisy – just enough noise for people to know we are here. People should act with finesse, know what we can do and ensure we deliver the best every time. If something goes wrong, we are there to fix it straightaway. But no matter how good you are, there’s always something you can improve. For me, the most important bit is being humble and not having a big head. When people visit, they expect a lot – we carry a name, which helps a lot, but also with that name we have to deliver the quality, with food and service, in every way. It’s just about consistency and quality; and we have that quality.

J: I think it’s all well and good giving out awards in this industry and the MC rest has won some of those very quality, but we should never like that detract from our number one focus, which is the customer. It’s great to have trophies in the cabinet that you can polish, but you need to deliver each and every day at the table.

pm.com - Do you think some people are put off by the image of MC restaurant as a hotel restaurant? After all, it’s located in quite a dominant building and some may think 'I wouldn't be welcome there'...

J: I think people’s understandings are changing – people recognise us a something other than a hotel and that people are welcome – all people – you don’t need a certain bank balance to come to eat or drink here, it’s open to all.

C: most Michelin-starred restaurants have some sort of brand, perhaps even as part of a hotel.
J: a number of the high quality restaurants in London are located within hotels; that has been accepted by those living in London and that is now moving to Manchester.

C: I have always compared Manchester as a small London – it has everything you need but is much more relaxed.
J: the vibe the city has isn’t found elsewhere, they may have the facilities but the feel of this city is unrivalled

Economic crisis? What crisis?

When we broached the subject of the now infamous economic situation and whether that had affected business, we were swiftly put in our place by Charles, who had a rather refreshing attitude to the situation…

C: On a local level, people know us and if they experience high quality every time, they will come back. That famous credit crunch means that people are spending their money carefully and spending it on quality. Rather than just going for an everyday item, they will save and visit Michael Caines – that will help us as people might spend a bit more money to be sure to get something – it sounds strange but maybe the credit crunch has helped us!

Interesting theory Charles - not sure how many people are on your side though...!

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