“Then what’s his angle?”
“You,” Gianna says bluntly. “He thinks you’ve lost your edge. That you’re distracted.”
Distracted. Right.
If only he knew what’s actually distracting me. Jess’s mouth. Her curves. The way she looks at me when she thinks I’m not watching. The fact I violated my own no-fraternization clause and would absolutely do it again given half a chance.
Yeah. Distracted is one word for it.
“He’s been trying to get off-record conversations,” André continues. “Cornering line cooks during smoke breaks. Offering to buy drinks after shift. Classic fishing expedition.”
Elena cuts in. “Has anyone talked?”
“Not yet. But he’s persistent. And some of the junior staff are young. They might not know better.”
I lean back in my chair. Think about this like I’m working a station during a busy shift. Hot, fast, high-pressure. When the tickets are piling up you don’t panic. You systematize.
“New protocol,” I say. “Written replies only. All media inquiries go through Elena. No off-record conversations. Period. Staff who get approached refer to the press email and walk away.”
“What if he pushes?” André asks.
“Then they repeat the script and keep walking. We’re not feeding this.”
Gianna is already typing. “I’ll draft the deflection language. Something like, ‘Please emailpress@fhg. We don’t comment individually.’”
“Keep it short,” Elena adds. “Don’t engage. Don’t defend. Just redirect.”
“What about access?” André sounds pissed. He should be. His kitchen is being invaded by a parasite. “He keeps trying to walk into the kitchen.”
“No back-of-house to media. Ever.” I’m not negotiating this. “Front-of-house is public facing. He can dine as a guest if he wants. But staff areas are off-limits.”
“And if he makes a reservation under a fake name?” Gianna asks.
“He can eat. He can review the food. But the second he pulls out a notepad or starts interviewing staff, security escorts him out.”
Elena hums approval. “I’ll update the house policies. Give Filepe clear parameters for removal.”
“One more thing.” I’m thinking about Ben now. About the school run. About photographers who might camp outside if Kells decides to expand his scope. “If he approaches family. If he goes anywhere near my daughter or her school. We go full legal. Harassment. Stalking. Whatever sticks.”
“Noted,” Elena says. “I’ll have a cease-and-desist ready just in case.”
The call wraps. I’ve got five minutes before school run.
I check my email. Sabrina Taylor-Maxwell, who’s been doing some PR consulting for us, sent a values note overnight for staff.
Do the work.Don’t feed the churn.
Reputation is built on substance, not soundbites.
When approached by media: smile, redirect, walk away.
Let thefood speak.
Short.Clear. Exactly what we need.
I forward it to Gianna:Print and post at every property. Pre-service today.
Her reply is instant:On it.
