Treat Staff Fairly: Cinnamon Collection

“Sustainability matters more than anything else,” says Executive Chef, Founder and CEO Vivek Singh. “If you want a business to thrive, prosper and progress, then sustainability has got to be at the heart of everything.” At the Cinnamon Collection, they’re particularly aware of the importance of social sustainability. “More than any other industry, hospitality is so dependent on people – without its people, it’s nothing,” he continues. “This extends to everyone: suppliers, teams or any other stakeholders. When they are well looked after, they are able to look after others well.” 

People who feel cared for care for other people

The Cinnamon Collection is particularly proud of their outstanding career progression programmes and how these have a direct, positive impact on retention. “The longevity of our team members is something we hold dearly – almost like trophies,” says Vivek. “This comes from being in touch with what people need; they need different things at different times, and being able to identify and support along that journey is something we have always done very well. People who feel cared for care for other people.”

One way they offer support is through their Employee Assistance programme. “If any of our staff come under stress – be that mental, financial, or anything else – they have a platform they can use to reach out to us. They let us know their issues and we do what we can to support them through it.”

Training and progression are important when it comes to fostering long-term careers in hospitality, and this is something The Cinnamon Collection does incredibly well. Over the last 23 years, they’ve run three assistant management training programmes, three different apprenticeship training programmes, four sous chef training programmes and many other training initiatives, and the results speak for themselves. “All of our head chefs are home grown – we have never hired directly into the top management in our kitchen, and that is mainly thanks to these training programmes and the ability to continually nurture talent,” Vivek says.

Food Made Good at The Cinnamon Collection: an eye-opening journey

The Cinnamon Collection has had a longstanding relationship with The SRA – in fact, Food Made Good was launched at the private dining room at The Cinnamon Club! “Sustainability has always been close to our hearts, long before it was considered a basic practice,” says Vivek. “We are forever looking for ways to operate more efficiently, so it only makes sense that we take the Food Made Good Standard.”

The team at The Cinnamon Collection knows that what you don’t measure, you can’t manage. Paying attention to this over the years has meant ongoing improvement and, as of 2024, reaching a coveted three-star rating in the Food Made Good Standard. “Going on this journey has been incredibly eye-opening. The Standard has had quite a significant impact: it made us think more about all aspects of our business from how we buy, to what we buy, how we cook and how we can minimise our waste. Even something as simple as what light bulbs we use in the restaurant was influenced by the FMG Standard.”

Shouting the Food Made Good Standard from the rooftops

“We are very proud of our efforts,” says Vivek, “and now that we have gotten to a three-star rating, all the more reason to shout it from the rooftops!” Sustainability is a common thread across their communications, including newsletters, websites, social platforms, in the restaurants themselves and anywhere else they can bring it into the conversation. “This does two things: it lets people know all the efforts we are making, but it also brings their attention to things they could possibly be doing differently, which is incredibly rewarding.”

The Cinnamon Collection is currently on a mission to understand their people even more deeply. “We’re keen to understand what their priorities are and how we can better aid in their journey,” explains Vivek. To accomplish this, they are in the process of running engagement surveys, which will be used as the basis for creating new initiatives that improve work environment, growth and progression, mental health and more – all good ways of making sure those long-standing teams are well taken care of.

Learn more about The Cinnamon Collection on their website. Read more about the Food Made Good Standard here, or head to our News & Insights page to find more articles about why treating staff well is a key part of sustainability and insights on how best to take good care of your team.