Without Reservation: Lessons From a Life in Restaurants - Jeremy King

Jeremy King has spent fifty years pioneering London’s dining scene, hosting everyone from Princess Diana and Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol and Laurence Olivier. He opened the city’s most iconic and era-defining restaurants, including Le Caprice in the 80s, The Ivy in the 90s, The Wolseley in the 2000s, and now Arlington, The Park and Simpson’s in the 2020s. In this wonderfully entertaining memoir, he describes his life in hospitality with insightful anecdotes and well-earned wisdom.

Owing to the curious intimacy between restaurateur and guest, Jeremy has witnessed countless heartbreaks, failures, challenges and celebrations. His advice has been sought widely over the years, and here he gives a series of valuable reflections on everything from the art of a quick ‘no thanks’ to trickier dispute resolution. Restaurants are microcosms of life, and the skills learnt in hospitality – such as communication, empathy and discipline – can be profoundly beneficial for everyone.

Jeremy talks of the alluring mystery of solo diners, misperceptions about which are the best tables and why you should always look a waiter in the eye. Alongside the secrets of his one-of-a-kind restaurants, he also shares memories of stand-out guests like Lucian Freud, Harold Pinter and Lauren Bacall.

Without Reservation is the ultimate tell-all of a singular career guided by integrity, egality and authenticity.