Max Gnoyke is Managing Director of Heathcotes restaurants which encompasses the 'Simply Heathcotes' and 'Olive Press' brands as well as two stand alone restaurants; 'the Winckley Square Chop House' in Preston and the original, Michelin starred, 'Longridge Restaurant'. A time served chef himself, Max has worked at Gavron and The Connaught with Gordon Ramsay - restaurants with three Michelin stars, so he naturally demands high standards of all his suppliers.

How would you describe your role?

The three mantras I live by split into team, customer and profit. So it's a balance of driving the teams in the existing restaurants, making sure we serve the customer and make a profit. That's it in a nutshell. Day to day it runs the whole gamut from purchasing to developing menus. We launched the new menu in all the Olive Presses recently. So we check all the dishes out with all the head chefs and fine tune a few things; I rolled up my sleeves myself.

You're a chef by profession?

Yes, many years ago. We're a very chef led business. Paul Heathcote is the Chief Executive, I report in to him and we've all worked to 2-3 Michelin star standard which gives us an edge in terms of whatever we do, it's got to be very good. We're in and out of the restaurants all the time.

With new projects you get involved with planning and fit out?

If it's a restaurant with 'Heathcotes' on it I'm involved. I'll take it from sourcing properties, then we'll look at it together; me and Paul. It depends who's got what on so we'll split things between us. Then we're into design and planning.