Richard Cowling, Director of Operations at Amriya Group Bahrain, shares how clear communication, visible leadership and a sharper focus on guest experience are shaping high-performing hospitality teams
How do you build and maintain strong teams across large-scale operations?
The key is communication, alongside clearly defined strategies built with involvement and input from the team. We have a strong and experienced management team that meets regularly, each with their own areas of responsibility and goals they were part of creating.
Our team is the heartbeat of everything we do, from our kitchens, stewarding and catering, through to our floor, bar, reception and hotel operations teams, supported by colleagues across finance, marketing, HR and IT. We work with a shared sense of respect for each other’s purpose within the organisation, and we continually strive for perfection in our areas of responsibility.
How has your leadership approach evolved in the current climate?
During the current regional situation, I have made a point to be as visible as possible across all areas of the operation, checking in with our teams on a regular basis. I don’t expect anyone to put themselves in a position I am not willing to take myself, and I am rescheduling my working days to champion that philosophy.
What specific operational shifts have delivered the biggest impact on performance recently?
Reviewing productivity has always yielded results. So many operations carry excess in manning through historic positions or over-expanded teams. I structure teams that are relevant and sizeable for the “now,” made up of people who are competent and driven enough to create future growth.
The biggest shift, however, has been a sharper focus on the guest experience at every touchpoint, not just the food on the plate, but the complete journey from the moment a reservation is made to the moment a guest leaves. We have been investing heavily in our people, ensuring that those in front of our guests are not only technically excellent but genuinely passionate about what they do.
Understanding the background, experiences, and future aspirations of our team members is central to this. The person who greets you at the door, the sommelier who guides you through a wine list, the chef who has spent years refining a single dish, these are the details that
transform a good meal into a memorable one. That is where our focus has been, and where we have seen the greatest return.
How do you ensure consistency across different concepts and venues?
Every brand in our business is unique and requires dynamic leaders to manage it daily. Whilst financial and operational disciplines are standardised throughout the group, it is the bespoke personality of each brand, reflected by the person responsible for its management, that is the most important factor in the group’s overall success.
How do you balance day-to-day performance with long-term growth?
We work with clearly defined brand standards to ensure service levels are consistently achieved. Across all our brands, however, we hire personalities who can reflect the identity of each concept with energy and enthusiasm, and our standards are built upon to allow for more personalised guest experiences.
Every day, we are focused on delivering experiences that bring guests back. The food has to be right, the service has to feel genuine, and every guest has to leave feeling the evening was worth their time and their trust.
The long-term piece is built on the same foundation. If we get the daily experience right, consistently, the growth follows. Guests today are discerning; they can feel the difference between a restaurant that exists to fill covers and one where someone genuinely cares about the food, the sourcing and the hospitality. Our brands are built to be the latter, and that is what keeps them relevant.
How do you see the hospitality landscape in the GCC evolving right now?
The industry in the GCC has been changing rapidly. There has been a huge shift towards chef-led concepts and neighbourhood restaurants, you only need to look at the MENA 50 Best Restaurants list to see that the restaurants earning both the accolades and the love of local communities are the ones with the chef and the ingredients at the very heart.
Our own homegrown brand Lyra, serving Greek-inspired dishes from around the Mediterranean, represents Bahrain on this year’s list after seeing huge success in its first full year. Restaurants where the chef’s vision around food, technique and flavour resonates with a personal story and genuine relevance, alongside clear provenance and responsible sourcing, are driving the success of homegrown collections over multisite chains.
We are in another period of regional uncertainty, which brings its own challenges. But our industry is resilient and has overcome many challenges in the past. I am confident we will rise to the current ones and come out stronger.
We are, at our core, a people-driven industry. Human beings are social animals. We look forward to breaking bread together with friends and family in a safe and vibrant environment.
