Behind the Scenes with... Henrique da Silva, our Reception Manager

From sharing his favourite dish on the menu to why he couldn’t imagine working anywhere else, meet Henrique, our Reception Manager here at Colbert.

How did you first get into hospitality?

I grew up in the Fulham / Wandsworth area, so when I was at school I did my work experience at Megan’s on the King’s Road. After going to college for a year, I realised it wasn’t really for me… so I went back to Megan’s as a barista. I decided I wanted more interaction with people, so I applied for a waiter position. Then a friend of a friend recommended Colbert to me, and in 2017 I joined as a senior waiter and I’ve been here ever since.

What’s your favourite thing about working on the Colbert reception?

I would say meeting people from all over the world; building relationships with people, both in my team and with our regular customers.

What has been your career highlight to date?

Definitely being promoted to Reception Manager! I’ve also met some prominent people who I grew up watching on the TV, and been lucky enough to have some great conversations with them.

And if you had to choose just one dish from the Colbert menu what would it be and why…

The Club Sandwich. It’s really good; I personally switch mine to be on white bread, no tomatoes and have it with a side of fries and plenty of ketchup… you can’t go wrong.

When you’re not at Colbert, where can we find you?

If I’m not with friends then you can probably find me at a coffee shop with my headphones on working. I’ve always had a passion for graphic design, and I do some freelance work – mostly to do with Portuguese football!

And finally, what one piece of advice would you give to anyone looking to join the industry?

I definitely feel like everyone should try working in hospitality once in their lives. It gives you great organisational and people skills – from handling difficult situations, to communicating effectively.

The most important thing I’ve learnt is to not take things personally and not to dwell on difficult situations; the best thing is to approach with kindness and keep smiling.