Chopstix: We haven’t forgotten our roots

Established in Camden Market in 2002 by entrepreneurs Sam Elia and Menashe Sadik, two immigrants who met working in a restaurant, Chopstix “has not forgotten where it came from,” says head of people Tricia Hamilton.

“They literally had £200 in their pocket and saw the opportunity in hospitality, and that’s how they’ve been able to forge their careers.

“Even though the business has been going for a few decades now, we haven’t forgotten our roots.”

Making a commitment to support colleagues from diverse and under-represented backgrounds in their own careers, the Pan-Asian noodle bar launched The Chopstix Degree programme, in partnership with Arden University.

This gives 50 colleagues, for whom a university education may have seemed out of reach, the chance to gain a recognised qualification in Chartered Management.

It has also created ‘Pick ‘n’ Mix Diplomas’, in partnership with IBAT College Dublin to help fast-track staff to senior leadership roles with 45 different modules, and an executive development programme, the Chopstix Leadership Highway.

“The reality is that hospitality has historically been made up of people who didn’t have opportunities, and have stumbled into the industry”, says Hamilton.

“What was key is that we have so much professional capability within our stores.

“Once you take step back and see the experience that we have, you start to consider how we nurture that and how we pay that back.”

With half of this semester’s intake from a background where English is their second language, Hamilton says it is important to create an environment “without anybody having to compromise who they are.”

“We want people to be the best versions of themselves.

“If you look at the demographics, we have a fantastic melting pot of just incredible, varied people.

Hamilton says this is something the brand is still keen to monitor, adding “that’s where people learn and grow.”

“We want to make sure that we continue to broaden the horizons of our teams,” she says, with a series of management workshops and people performance assessments.

The end goal is “creating those bigger leaders of tomorrow and giving our teams life skills, not just to be a great team member at Chopstix but to take it through their life”.

The brand is also set to launch a scholarship programme through Global University Systems (GUS), to support at least five candidates yearly, through their studies.

“So, it’s not necessarily about just what’s happening to our teams, but actually those that are currently going into hospitality degrees and thinking about what they do when they come out”.

Hamilton says the brand is now at a “pivotal point,” where it is starting to consider its diversity credentials in the customer realm.

It is in the process of teaching its teams basic sign language and has partnered with charities such as Mencap and Bernardo’s alongside introducing quiet hours for customers with neurodiverse needs.

Promoting inclusion through its guiding people principles, Hamilton says, “We are so transparent.

“We’d rather make sure that people feel part of the family, they understand why we do what we do, and can be part of that solution as well.”

Keeping a clear line of communication with colleagues around diversity and inclusion, both in person and online is vital, says Hamilton.

Twice a year the Chopstix exec team engage in “road shows”, alongside an annual conference which has been a positive vehicle for the brand’s diversity and inclusion ambitions.