Business, Services & Management – B2 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
You will hear a chef called Liam giving a presentation about his career and opening his own independent vegetarian restaurant. For questions 9-18, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
Liam – restaurant owner
Liam discovered that his greatest interest lay in preparing (9)……………………… rather than fine dining dishes.
After many years of gaining experience in kitchens, Liam reached the position of (10)……………………… .
The original idea for a purely vegetarian menu came to Liam while he was visiting a (11)……………………… .
For the location of his new business, Liam eventually chose an (12)……………………… instead of a pub or warehouse.
When banks refused to offer him a loan, Liam received the necessary money from his (13)……………………… .
Liam ensures that the main focus of his recipes is always on (14)……………………… .
Liam was surprised that it was (15)……………………… which brought so many customers to the restaurant on its first night.
The restaurant recently won a prestigious award recognizing its excellent (16)……………………… .
Rather than expanding his business, Liam is currently busy working on a (17)……………………… .
Liam warns that anyone wanting to open a restaurant must prepare a good (18)……………………… to be successful.
ANSWER KEY
9 street food 10 head chef 11 local market 12 old bakery
13 family members 14 seasonal vegetables 15 social media
16 customer service 17 cookery book 18 business plan
AUDIO SCRIPT
Liam: Hi everyone, my name is Liam, and I’m here to talk about my journey as a chef and how I ended up opening my own independent vegetarian restaurant.
When I first started training at culinary school, I was absolutely certain I wanted to work in high-end, fine dining establishments. However, after taking a gap year to travel across Asia, my perspective completely changed. I realised that my true passion was actually street food. The vibrant flavours and the fast pace of the stalls just captivated me.
When I returned home, I spent years working in various demanding kitchens. I started at the very bottom, chopping onions and washing dishes. It took nearly a decade of long hours and hard work, but eventually, I achieved my goal and was promoted to head chef at a well-known city centre bistro.
While I loved the job, I felt a strong desire to open my own place. People often assume I got the idea for a purely vegetarian restaurant from reading trendy food blogs or specialized cookbooks. In reality, the concept sparked during a weekend trip to a local market. Seeing the incredible variety of fresh, colourful produce made me want to make plants the absolute star of the plate.
Finding the right property was challenging. I initially viewed a massive industrial warehouse, which felt too cold, and then a historic pub, which was way out of my budget. Finally, I stumbled upon an old bakery that had been empty for a few months. It had the perfect rustic charm I was looking for.
Funding the project was the next major hurdle. I put together a pitch and approached several banks for a loan, but they all turned me down because the hospitality industry is considered high-risk. Fortunately, my family members believed in my vision and provided the financial backing I needed to get the restaurant off the ground.
When it came to designing the menu, I wanted to do things differently. A lot of vegetarian places rely heavily on artificial meat substitutes or imported exotic fruits. Instead, I decided to build my dishes entirely around seasonal vegetables. It means the menu changes constantly, but the flavours are so much better and more sustainable.
I was incredibly nervous about our opening night. I’d spent a fortune on traditional print advertising in the newspaper, expecting that to draw a crowd. However, it turned out that social media was the real driver. Some food bloggers had posted pictures of our trial dishes online, and we were fully booked within hours!
Things have gone brilliantly since then. Last month, we were even recognized at a regional hospitality event. We were nominated for best interior design, which was very flattering, but we actually took home the prize for our customer service. That meant the world to me, as I train my staff to be as welcoming and attentive as possible.
Looking ahead, people keep asking if I’m going to open a second branch or start a food truck. While those are nice ideas, my current focus is putting together a cookery book. I really want to share my recipes so people can recreate these dishes at home.
If any of you are dreaming of opening your own restaurant, my biggest piece of advice is this: being a great cook simply isn’t enough. You might have the best recipes in the world, but if you don’t have a realistic business plan, you won’t survive your first year. Get the numbers right first!