AIL talks to: Hache

Berry Casey, owner of Haché, tells us about running one of London’s top burger restaurants.

“Running restaurants, one thing’s for sure, no two days are the same. There are however daily routines. This industry is largely a nocturnal existence: I’ve always been a late night worker, so I don’t rush to arrange early morning meetings. This works fine as we have Rosie, the family Border Terrier, and I do the early morning and late night walking shifts. Both are ideal times to think about the day.

Another morning routine implicates seriously boring exercise! My enthusiasm for sport over the years has taken its toll, so I do half an hour every other morning of pilates, press-ups etc. which is great at staving off potential back problems. It helps to be reasonably fit to counter the banter I get from both my kids and the Haché teams.

During our daily management meetings, I am in awe of our talented young staff with their enthusiasm and commitment. We have never had to advertise for managers: They have all been promoted from within the company, including the head chefs, and many are still with us since the early days.

Suzie, my wife/ business partner, and I are still good mates, and all of our four children (twin girls, a ‘middle’ girl and a boy) have helped us in our business over the years, either in management, the creative area, or just plain serving.

We don’t have a central office - all meetings are held at one of the Haché sites; this way we get to regularly hear the ideas – (and the groans) of the managers and staff first hand.

Even though I work 16 hours most days, Thursday and Sunday mornings are sacrosanct. Everyone knows these are my tennis breaks, so meetings are usually avoided at these times.

Getting round to all the sites on a regular basis is not always practical, but I call each restaurant every night at midnight to make contact and hear of any immediate issues. I do ‘the rounds’ Sunday evenings and have one-to-ones with the managers, and chefs. This gives Suzie a break and a chance to watch some of her favourite TV!

Things may change as the company expands, but I would like to think I will still know everyone who works in Haché by name.”

Haché facts
Berry and Suzie Casey ran a creperie in Camden before opening Haché.

The Camden branch was the first site to open in 2004, followed by Chelsea, Clapham and Shoreditch.

They became known for offering ‘posh burgers’ made with Scotch beef, lamb, chicken, duck, tuna, falafel or mushroom, and with a choice of brioche or ciabatta.

Amy Winehouse would regularly pop in for the Canadian, with sweet cure bacon and Cheddar cheese. This is their second most popular burger after the cheeseburger.

In 2005 they won Time Out's Best Burger in London Award.

They operate a membership scheme called Societé Haché.

The owners’ favourite cuisine is French; the restaurants are named after steak haché, which is finely chopped steak.