Hello and welcome to The Brentwood Buzz, a podcast
celebrating all that's good about the people and places of
Brentwood, Essex. I'm Kay Bellwood.
As Brentwood gears up for the festive season, The Brentwood
Buzz has been talking to Debbie Butcher who not only spreads
cheer as the events manager for Figo Italian Restaurant on the
High Street, but is also responsible for getting people
where they need to be in and our other job as an ABC cab driver.
The Brentwood Buzz joined Debbie for Spaghetti and a Sparkling
Water to find out what brought her to Brentwood to do such
different jobs. I was a stay at home mum, which
I feel very privileged to be. Then when I went back to work,
moved to Calvin Hatch, then Billericay.
Now I'm back in Doddinghurst and since I was at Billericay I've
worked in Billericay and Brentwoods and very local.
And what were you doing 'cause you, you're sort of in
hospitality, you're driving a cab.
So you're obviously a person of of many talents.
I joined Felix as a receptionist.
I learnt a lot about hospitality from that, became a general
manager of Felix and Billericay and then came into Figo and was
here for a couple of years but decided that I didn't want to do
hospitality anymore. I'm I'm not a young person and
it's very, very hard work. And with an accidental meeting I
became a cab driver and I haven't looked back.
So now I'm a cab driver. And then Figo contacted me and
said they were looking for an events coordinator, would I be
interested? And I said, OK, we'll run the
two together. And so that's what I do.
So, So what kind of training have you had kind of right the
way back to, you know, so you, you leave school and then you
think, I think I'll be an events manager and a cab driver or, or
I mean, what leads up to that? I've had no training at all.
I have worked in an accounts department of a very large
company. I've been a stay at home mum.
I used to count the money from a fruit machine, reconcile it I I
love working with figures and numbers.
Then I fell into hospitality by accident as I do with all my
jobs. It was a chance meeting.
I was offered the job, learnt a lot of hospitality because I
started at reception, watched all the roles that was in
hospitality from the bar, how reception and bookings affect
the flow of the restaurant. Used to go down and watch the
pass and the chefs doing the cooking, but that's basically
it. And then events.
I just love creating events. I love organising things so
people can have the best possible experience.
Christmas is my big, big thing. I love organising stuff for
Christmas and I just let my imagination go and anything
anyone comes up with I'm I'm with them and they're going
further. Because I think that a lot of
us, we, we go out and we eat and, and that's the thing.
You go to a restaurant, you eat, you go away again.
And it's it, you don't necessarily realise quite what a
range of jobs there are to get that.
You know, you sat at a table, your drinks in there at the
right time, your food cooked and you're having a good time and
and maybe some entertainment as well.
Yes, there there is a lot involved.
Figo's very relaxed, they're Italians, the chefs are
Italians, so it is all very relaxed, all about coming out,
the family, having a fun relaxed time.
Whereas the other restaurant I worked in was very formal there.
There's obviously reception on a busy day when it's quiet, you
don't need a receptionist. You've got the bar, you've got
the staff in the kitchen, you've got the porters in the back, the
floor staff there. There is a lot to it.
And what are what are Brentwood people like for coming out and
winning and dining themselves? So are we a friendly bunch or
are we very demanding? Or you can get both.
You can definitely get both. You do get families, which are
very good fun. I'm going to be honest and say
children running around a restaurant is not appropriate.
It's a dangerous place for children to be running around
that's hard to cope with. And it's even harder when they
start affecting other diners because they expect us to do
something about it. But there's not actually a lot
we can do apart from ask parents to keep their children at the
table. But mostly people come here.
They're we've got the green room where people tend to go if they
want to be quiet, romantic, you know that it's got that vibe or
you've got the main restaurant where it's a a buzz and the
noise comes with it. It's it's the buzz.
I've seen this there's a thing being advertised at the moment
which is a three course meal and a an evening of musical
entertainment as in songs from the shows type of thing is is
that is that your doing an an an event for to bring people in
specifically? Yes, that I am responsible for
that through networking. I met someone who asked if they
could host an A ladies networking meeting on the second
Tuesday of every month. And one of her other things, She
has a company of West End singers.
She's a West End singer herself. She she's sung at the West End.
She's done Mamma Mia, she's professional.
But then she had a family and she still wanted to perform but
she didn't want to do 8 shows a week.
So she created a company. She knows all the West End
singers, all the sound people, and they go out and they perform
in restaurants with proper sound, not just amp in the
corner. They bring the musicals from
London to Brentwood. The performers have all done
major roles in Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Tina
Turner, and they come in and they start off, you know, with
Greatest Showman. Usually to get everyone warmed
up, they go through various musical performances and by the
end of it you'll be up dancing to Tina Turner, ABBA Queen from
We Will Rock You and it's just a monumental evening.
It's Absolutely Fabulous, I. Love the idea that you say that
you've got proper sound people because there's nothing worse
than going to a restaurant and thinking, well, I'm going to
meet up with my friends, have a nice chat and have somebody
loudly singing at you in a very small space.
But this, this, that was like a really good evening That that
that that is put on with the with the musicals.
It's built round the musicals, it's built round the music.
People are coming to to eat. But to be quite honest, the food
people want to eat, the food is very, very second to the the
entertainment. It's that good.
So they want to come, they have some food, they have some drink,
but they want the fun of the that the musicals bring.
It's it's a one off in this area and it's absolutely amazing.
They promised it would be good and the last one we did in
September was out of this world. I woke up the next day and my
socials are blown up. That was from networking and,
and obviously we met through networking as well, so that's
clearly part of the job as well. Have you got any other ideas of,
you know, people to bring in? Have you got your eye on
anybody? I'm thinking, oh, if only I
could get oh so and so. The trouble is it's, it's
actually quite hard to bring people in because bringing live
entertainment into any venue, it's expensive and you have to
be able to cover the costs of it.
We have bought live music in and we've they've played to an empty
restaurant. It's it's very difficult.
Whereas this is a, a ticketed event.
We know how many people are coming.
The food is in the price of the ticket, so we know what to
expect. The West End singers are coming
to the Light Up Brentwood event and they it's going to be very
focused on the children because it is all about the children.
And we have the postmistress from the North Pole.
She'll be here and the children can write their letters to Santa
and give them to her and she'll put them in her postal satchel.
And I can promise you Santa will get the post and he will reply
and people can come and collect their replies from Figo.
They don't need to eat. Just come in, say they've got a
letter from Santa and we will give you your letter.
Brilliant. Oh, that sounds, that sounds
really, really good. And I can already hear the songs
from Frozen being sung. So or elf actually, that's not
at the moment as well. So obviously you love the
hospitality, you love the, the events, the, the entertainment
and, and being less on your feet nowadays.
But it was it was the, the, the big on your feet for a long time
that set you off on the cab driver.
So how do you suddenly go? Oh, cab driving seems like a
good idea. I was looking to get out of
hospitality because I have arthritis in one of my feet.
It was never going to be long term.
And so on one of the job sites, Mini Cabin cropped up.
It was based in Chelmsford and it was saying it was going to
take a long time to get a license.
And I just thought I'd like to do it, but no.
But then when I bumped into Maria from ABC, she was so
enthusiastic and so supportive about getting a license.
I thought I'll give it a go. And I just thought I'll give it
a go. And I love it.
I love it. It's it's I'm, I'm not AI, don't
sit on the ranks. I'm not a Hackney carriage.
All my jobs are given to me by ABC, so I know who's getting in
my car. I feel completely safe.
And it's it's like living in a soap opera because it's the same
people. It's all the regulars and they
get in the car. Go, Oh, hello, how are you?
How did it go? You know, how's, how's such and
such, How's your cat? And, and it's, it's just
brilliant. It's it's so friendly and it's
so much fun and I laughed through most of my journeys.
I think that would be the thing that if you're a, a woman,
you're driving, being a, a cabbie is it has, it's it's own,
you know, risks and, and, and what have you.
So that would be, I think, something that you might think
about to go now, it seems a bit dangerous, but if you know who's
getting in, you've got a certain amount of control, presumably.
Exactly that. And if there is someone that I
don't feel comfortable with either before the journey or
during the journey, I can say I'm not taking them or I can say
I'd rather not take them again. If someone gets in the car and
they're worried about me during the journey, they will keep
checking in on the radio and, and so I, I do feel really safe
and, and I could look after myself, but mostly people have
to come into the office or ring. We know who they are, they can
see them so and they look after all their drivers.
They're really, really good. The drivers are happy being
there because they're looked after.
And a lot of people like me because I'm a female And if
someone's vulnerable, mind you, all the drivers are so good and
trusted. I wouldn't say they particularly
asked for me, but some people do like having a female driver.
So I. Think you, if you're using a cab
there, there's a reason. It's either because you're a bit
older and frailer or more vulnerable and you need that.
So are you finding you're maybe doing lots of hospital trips,
taking people to the doctors? Oh, absolutely.
And it really opens your eyes to what people have to live with
the condition, the the medical conditions they have to live
with, how difficult their life can be.
And you, I look at them and think, I, that can be me in a
few years time. And it, the mobility is, is a
real shock of how some people have to live virtually immobile.
Really. They've got walkers and they've
got scooters. They want to be out and about,
but they really, really struggle.
They, they can't drive. They're, they're, they're too
old, too frail to drive. And you, you're actually really
surprised who takes a cab? It's not just my daughter said
to me, Oh, so you're going to be driving drunk people.
But it's not like that at all. You you've got people who don't
drive for so many reasons, medical, they just don't want to
drive. Some people have given up their
licence because it's too stressful on the roads now.
But there's a multiple of reasons why people don't drive.
And I actually drive very few drunk people.
But that's because I don't work Friday night and Saturday night
and. You don't have to do the
knowledge like a, a black cab driver would do in London, but
you obviously have to know the roads in and around Brentwood
and sort of Billericay, Basildon to be able to get to all those
places. Is there, it's been a nightmare
in Brentwood just recently with the gas works going on.
How do you get round all of those things like that?
Roads closed, there's traffic lights here.
It's it's, you know, rush hour. We were going to have to avoid
the gallows corner or what have you.
You get to know the cut throughs and also because we're on the
road all the time, our shifts are about 10 hours, usually a
bit more. You know where the traffic is,
you know where it's built up and we tell each other over the
radios. So we by law have to charge the
shortest distance. So basically from Wilsons Corner
to say Engrave straight line straight down the Engrave Rd.
Now that can be solid traffic doesn't matter.
That's what we have to charge. But we don't have to drive that
route. So I can go all round the East
Ham Estate or I can drop up through Worley, whichever way I
like, but I have to charge the shortest route.
But for me, time wise and fuel, quite often fuel wise, it's more
cost effective for me to take the long way round where I'm
moving all the time, but still charge the, the, the, the small
fare, the the lowest fare. But we're not metered.
We charge by the mileage. The Hackney carriages, they have
the purple signage on their cars.
Ours are yellow. They are metered.
And so you pay regardless if you're sitting in traffic, the
meter will still go round. So that's something to bear in
mind. Little tip for you and and.
This is a daft question, but are you a good driver?
And that possibly. By that I mean, do you enjoy
driving? I love driving.
I've loved driving since the moment I passed my test.
I used to be, when I was younger, a bit of a petrol head.
I love driving. I'm very aware that if I have a
passenger, it's their ride, not mine.
So you have to take them into consideration.
It doesn't matter what other drivers do, you have to get your
passenger from A to B safely and comfortably and so that they
feel that they've had a good journey because they're paying
you for their journey. It's important they've enjoyed
it and they'll come back. If they're happy with the
driver, they'll come back. I did say to myself when I was
looking into becoming a cab driver, I thought, am I going to
be able to cope with this? Am I going to be able to cope
with the traffic and and people doing stupid things on the road?
And I thought, OK, if I'm going to do this, I can't fly.
I've just got to sit in it and suck it up.
And that that's how I do it. I just let it all go over my
head and don't get wound up. If I have to sit in traffic, I
have to sit in traffic. If I know a way round, I'll go
round. But it's it's better for my
mental health and my health in general if I stay calm and it's
a lot better for the passenger. There's no road rage in your
cab. No, sometimes a bit of language,
but not if I've got a passenger. What are other drivers like in
Brentwood? It's a.
It's a loaded question. Oh priceless.
Some of them priceless. So you get, well the same as
anywhere, you get very entitled drivers.
The worst thing I have to say are the delivery bikes.
They seem to have no Rd. sense at all.
They just land on pavements regardless of pedestrians.
They if they'll go down places they're not allowed to go and
they just don't care. They just don't care and I don't
understand how they can run a business on L plates personally.
And if someone can tell me, please tell me, but I just do
not understand. You cannot.
If you get your personal car insurance, they ask you is it
social domestic pleasure or are you going to use it for
business? And that makes a difference.
For a cab, the insurance is absolutely phenomenal because
you're earning money from it. So how are these bikes allowed
to run around on an L plate and earn money?
I don't know. There's.
Also a point as to how much take away food can people eat.
Why aren't they coming to restaurants like Figo in Eating
I? Think, I think coronavirus
changed that. People got food delivery and
that that's how it stayed. You've got people who've learnt
to cook in COVID as well. They love being at our friends,
they love being at home cooking, having a cocktail while they're
preparing their dinner and they used to eat out all the time and
that, but that's they've they've learnt to cook, they enjoy
cooking together and that's their evening now.
And I think that's why hospitality, apart from the the
cost of living and and the overheads are phenomenal.
I think a lot of people just like cooking now.
Yeah. I.
Mean we're now at what, 6:30 on a Thursday evening?
There's not many. I mean, it's a big restaurant as
well. There's not many people in here.
How do you manage that? I mean, do you just sit at the
beginning of the evening and go, well let's does anybody turn up
or do you try and pull people in?
We try and pull people in, mostly.
If you come down the High Street, we look empty, but
that's because we see people in the green room, which is at the
back of the restaurant, which is much more luxurious.
It's a nicer environment for them.
You get restaurants that like to sit people in the window
regardless, so they look busy. But we like to give the
customers the better experience, the more they can sit in the
front room if they want to, they can sit wherever they like.
But most people really like the green room because it's more
luxurious. It's, it's a little bit darker
so but we can start the evening with, you know, 2 tables or two
booked. But we get a lot of walk
insurance and you you can end up really, really busy and you
don't even know that it's going to happen.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I just think it's an
absolute art to kind of have enough food to feed the people
that come in and you don't know at the beginning of the evening
whether you're going to get 10 or 100 people.
Exactly that, but we do. All our food is freshly prepared
so that it doesn't go to waste. The pizzas are made from
scratch, the dough's made, but everything else is is from
scratch. So there's very little wastage
here. It's just really knowing what to
have in the fridges and. What what have you got coming up
in it's sort of Christmas and New Year, your favorite time of
doing things? Is it, is there going to be a
lot of Turkey based cracker type of food and and entertainment or
have you got more interesting things going on?
Well, we don't do Turkey here. It's Italian and they're really,
really strict. If it's not Italian, it's not
coming through the door. But we have got a festive set
menu and we are getting a lot of Christmas bookings now.
Big tables or private parties in the loft bar.
The Loft Bar has got so many parties coming up this this
Christmas that we actually don't have the space to put on
entertainment because the bookings have been so good.
But we just, we're just taking the bookings really.
But we've got some really good parties coming up.
And that's the best bit is I get to help with the parties and
make sure they have a good time and, and help them set up, see
them off and then walk away and let them have their fun and
leave it to the staff because the staff are actually very
good. I tell them this is what's
happening, this is what you've got to do.
And they go OK and they do it. They're really, really good.
I've gone through the hospitality thing, gone off to
be a cab driver, kept being a cab driver, come back to the
hospitality as well. What's going to keep you in
Brentwood from now onwards? I love where I live.
I live in Dodinghurst, I've got a lovely little cottage, I've
got an allotment over the road, I'm come from the country, I
love the country, but then I've only got to come into Brentwood.
I love my 2 jobs, they complement each other really
really well so I'm perfectly happy where I am.
Thanks very much to Debbie Butcher from Figo for a fabulous
evening and a great chat which continued long after the
recording was switched off about Allotment Musicals and Gamley's
Toy Shop in East Grinstead. You had to be there.
The Brentwood Buzz will be back very soon with details of how
you can help out Father Christmas and Essex Police with
some Christmas gifts. Keep listening and please do
like, comment and share.