Guy Heksch, head of Pure Grey, is a seasoned hospitality expert with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He began his career as a chef and now he’s a renowned design and brand innovator in the hotel industry.
Early on, Guy Heksch worked as a chef with some of the biggest names, such as restaurants by Guy Savory, Daniel Boulud, Mario Batali and Alain Ducasse, which all afforded him the experience and knowledge needed in his current position with Pure Grey. While Heksch enjoyed cooking, hospitality is really where his talents shine. His methodology for design and branding is deeply connected to the culture of a location, pairing it with modern details that truly make a unique space.
Total Food Service caught up with Guy Heksch to talk about his past, his vision for Pure Grey and the portfolio of projects he’ll be undertaking in 2020.
Can you provide us with some background information on you and your career?
I was born in France, and then grew up in Israel. At an early age I started working in great restaurants in both countries as a chef before coming to the U.S. in ‘95 and attending Johnson and Wales. From there, I worked for several chefs along the way. I really enjoyed the cooking aspect of things and felt it was a good way to escape and create. The culinary arts became my escape.
What are the lessons you took from your time on the cooking line into your career in design?
You know, when I look at the industry today, I think we took it a bit too far. At the end, we’re just feeding people and now we are making it so much more than it really is. We look at every meal as just that, a meal. There’s nothing like you’re best performance. I mean, you’re only as good as your last performance, so basically every service and every meal you have to perform as if you’re an actor. You put on a show over and over again.
But the details are so critical when it comes to cooking in high-end places. You can’t make mistakes or miss anything. The best chefs I have worked with have this need to constantly improve every single dish. It doesn’t matter how many ducks we cooked, or how many fished we filleted. The next one has to be better.
How do you feel about the big names in the industry not even cooking anymore? Instead, they are trying to build these large franchises or end up on TV, which then drags them away from the kitchen.
Yes, some are looking to build an empire, but there are many that are there in the restaurant, performing every day to build their reputation. These are the ones that respect the tradition and methods, always going back to them no matter how big they get. We are our worst critics and, yes, we can have big egos and tend to want more.
So somewhere along the line, people who have a background like yours usually open a restaurant. But you seem to have gone in a very different direction, why?
I was about to open a restaurant in New York in 2008 but the whole financial crisis happened, and I got scared. You then see that this business you’ve always dreamed about isn’t going to work out at the time and you have to figure out something else. It’s hard to open up your own place because there are so many risks and challenges involved. I knew I’d one day go back to this idea, but that wasn’t the time.
I then realized that I wanted something different that wasn’t so strict and rigid as opening up a restaurant. Someday I’d like to open something like a B&B in the south of France. It’ll be a small place with a restaurant with a set menu. There won’t be all these substitutions like the menus of today. I’d be doing something I love and then be able to travel in the offseason.
What led you to the launch of Pure Grey?
After I realized that I wanted to dabble more in front of the house business and was really intrigued by food and wine. I wanted to jump into creating concepts and working with individuals. I wanted to create spaces and found hotels to be a great place to do that. They seem to be failing when it comes to food and beverage because they looked at it as an amenity and not as an aspect that was a true profit center. They see it as only servicing hotel guests and not adding to the overall revenue.
How do you suggest that a hotel look at F&B?
If you’re a hotel and only focusing on the hotel guest, then you’re doing something wrong. Typically, there’s always this breakfast room that they then transform into a dinner room. Well, that doesn’t work, so I want our clients to think the other way around and build a restaurant and then figure out how to do breakfast there.
Where did the interest in hotels come from?
My family was in the hotel business, so I grew up around that from since I was a boy. After ‘08-’09, I was recruited to do a project for the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, and they wanted to compete with boutique hotels, which were barely coming up back then. The Mandarin was a very conservative company, but also wanted to really push the envelope and create something new. I came along to try and create the best restaurant and bar and from there fell in love with the world of hotels. I love hosting and entertaining and feel as if there’s something magical or mystical about hotels. I’ve done several openings of other hotels across the world, from New York to Mexico and so many other places. I love it when money isn’t one of the main objectives. I’m all about working with my team to create something amazing.
What led to the connection with Marriott?
I then started working with Marriott International before the acquisition of Starwood. They came to me and said they wanted to make a food and beverage change. I wasn’t really convinced that they really wanted to change, and I challenged them to really show they were committed. They’d have to change their views on hiring and more and they were willing to do it all. Mr. Marriott who was 87 at the time told that me the company was willing to do whatever it took. So I got on board to create a new strategy for them when it came to their food and beverage. We wanted to become the hub of the city and a place for locals, where they met to eat and drink. I didn’t even want to cater to hotel guests really.
How did the relationship with Marriott evolve?
Marriott bought Starwood Hotels and Resorts and then I now had to identify how 30 different brands could all be streamlined and work properly together. That’s when I developed Pure Grey, which is an individual restaurant and bar concept team studio.
Can you elaborate more on what Pure Grey is?
It is now fully owned and operated by Marriott.
Right from the start, I told Marriott that Pure Grey needed to live in a big city like New York or Paris. They also have given us the flexibility to work with non-Marriott related businesses. From there, we hired a great team of creative people to over a 360-degree solution for our clients. We’d create everything from the beverage operation strategy, branding, design and everything needed to really transform a space. We started with a feasibility study, but also think locally so that it works for the location. We don’t just think about the food or beverage, but about the design, music and look of it all. It’s a combination of all those things and we go into each city and identify those different things to see how we can enhance the culture rather than dilute it.
We have the flexibility to design these grand locations so that it makes sense for the location and budget. These days, places only have a few years of notoriety before they need to be refreshed into something new. We have to be smart about how we build and design the space.
Can you talk about how that translates to the equipment used in the restaurant space?
It’s important that we utilize new technology. It’s so handy these days. We are probably one of the last industries to adapt to new technologies. But we have to because it’s all about smart cooking, using the latest technology. It will not only enhance the experience, but it will make it easier in the end. Quite honestly, technology could enable us to operate with less skilled people than before, but we still recognize the value of people in the hospitality equation.
We noticed in your portfolio that there are things beyond restaurant hospitality. What are the other common elements that you find make for a great design?
I think a combination of music and fashion go together with restaurants because they are elements that are tied together. If you put them under one roof, you now have something that’s lifestyle based.
What do you have planned for 2020?
We are looking to redesign Marriott Marquis in Times Square. We’re trying to see how we can make it a bit more relevant. Although, we have to understand that it might not attract locals given the location, but are trying to do it more for the guests and the first-time New York City visitors. We also have another hotel project happening in Milan, Italy.
To learn more about Guy Heksch and Pure Grey, visit their website or on Instagram.
