Tracey Kitchener-Kemp Following her early years in Hotel Management, Tracey progressed to restaurants and bars spending 9 years in the early days of TGI Fridays UK where she ran the London region. Progressing to Brand Development she spent several years rolling out new brands for various large organisations including Jongleurs comedy clubs. She also developed and operated a range of concepts from live entertainment venues, fine dining restaurants and traditional bars. As Managing Director of the highly regarded Bombay Bicycle Club she was involved with the re-branding and positioning of this successful business following the acquisition by The Clapham House Group. Tracey joined Tootsies as Managing Director in June this year. She is passionate about the business leading standards for quality and service and her mission is to ensure that Tootsies is the first choice destination for any occasion.

Graham Thomlinson Graham Thomlinson, our Head of Operations has worked in restaurants since the tender age of 17. Starting as a waiter working for large companies e.g. Mitchells & Butler, Pizza Express to one off independents. Graham first went to Tootsies 20 years ago in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Grahams favourite main course is the Jalapeno Burger with the pattie cooked medium. Grahams’ passion is for great customer service and nothing makes him happier than to hear when a part of his team has made a customers experience extra special.

Wayne Furmage Growing up above a pub meant that Wayne has never been far away from food, drink and customers. At 16, he enrolled in catering college in Henley on Thames to train as a Chef and ended up doing a degree in Hotel Management. Since graduating, he has worked for a number of successful Restaurants and Hotels, including; Hilton, The Royal Berkshire Racquets Club and Ma Potters Restaurants. In August 2001, Wayne joined Tootsies Restaurants as General Manager to open Dexter’s Basingstoke. After helping to establish Tootsies Reading 3 years later - Wayne was promoted to Operations. He now oversees 11 of our Restaurants as Operations Manager. “Best dish has to be the Nachos; you just don’t get them like this any where else. My daughter definitely loves Annabel Karmel’s menu - TD’s Bolognaise is her favourite.”

Duka Nagy Duka joined Tootsies just over two years ago and is responsible for the Central London and East Anglia restaurants. Even though she has studied banking and financing, some 15 years ago Duka decided that her chosen career would be in hospitality. She started her Management career at Pitcher and Piano, but over the years progressed within her role and gained valuable management experience whilst working for the likes of McMullen’s and Sons, Coffee Republic and Pizza Hut. She is passionate about people and strives to deliver WOW experiences both to her customer and staff alike! Her favourite dish is Buffalo Wings.

Emily Douglas Emily joined Tootsies Restaurants Head Office in 2005 from taking a year off after completing her Business Management degree to travel the world! Emily is now Head of Marketing for Tootsies & Dexter’s restaurants which she feels is an exciting challenge. She has a customer service background, with time spent working as an Analyst for British Gas Head Office in their ‘Quality’ team. Emily loves coming up with promotional ideas for the company and gets really excited when we offer a deal that gives our customers extra value for money. With her family living in Chiswick, West London, Tootsies has been a firm favorite of Emily’s since childhood, and still is. Her favorite dish is the seasonal Butternut Squash Risotto.

Shaun Yarde Shaun started working part time at the Rock Island Diner in Meadowhall in 1995. He then moved around within the Out Of Town Restaurant Group whist working his way up to be a General Manager, managing different brands such as Bitz and Pizza, Thyme Café and French Café. He also worked for other branded restaurants such as Frankie and Benny's. He moved to Tootsies restaurants in 2002 and was based in the Trafford centre, he arrived with lots of enthusiasm and knowledge and rose to the challenge of making this a profitable site and the customer's first choice. Shaun has now progressed from this role into a multi- site manager for the north.

Greg Bleau Executive Chef Greg Bleau first started working for Tootsies in 2005. Greg is an exceptionally experienced Chef having worked in prestigious kitchens of hotels and restaurants both in London and around the world. Greg has a vast knowledge of a multitude of different cuisine making him ideal for Tootsies and Dexter's varied and cosmopolitan menu offer. Greg lives in Surrey with his partner and two children, they love going to Tootsies after school and being treated to their favourite milkshake after their meal.

Julian McDonald Julian, or ‘Jools’, is responsible for carrying out Financial Audits, a job someone has to do to keep restaurants on the straight and narrow path to success. With a long and varied background in senior management at Regional Brewers such as Marston's and Wolverhampton and Dudley, Jools became interested in the London bar, bistro and food scene when he was part of the team that acquired Pitcher & Piano for a Brewer in 1996. Passionate about detail and eagle eyed when it comes to stock and accounting matters, he provides back-up to the Operations Team. Favourite for Jools is the Tootsies Breakfast, as he is always up and on the road very early.

Jo Cole Jo’s career started at 15 as a waitress in a Golf Club in Essex. She has a passion for food and service and attended Catering College, becoming a Head Chef at the age of 19. After taking a break for a year she soon came back to what she knows and loves and worked for the Slug and Lettuce group as a Kitchen Manager. Side stepping to bar management in 2001 she quickly moved up the ranks to become a General Manager in 2002. Joining Tootsies in 2003, and managing our Brighton restaurant for 4 years, she has helped with various openings, and in 2005 Jo was responsible for opening our flagship restaurant at Richmond Riverside. She is now our ‘Personnel Manager’ and her role involves training, developing and recruitment.