The first Lussmanns opened as an Eatery in November 2002, off the Portobello Road in North Kensington. Quickly establishing themselves as the locals’ favourite, the business left London for a new home in Hertfordshire in June 2004 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Recently included in The Sunday Times’ list of the 100 Best Places to Eat in the UK, Lussmanns has grown into a much-loved, award-winning restaurant group, with five restaurants across the county.
We caught up with Managing Director Andrei Lussmann to discuss how it all began, his favourite dishes, giving back to the local community, and Lussmanns’ plans for next year and beyond.
When did Lussmanns first open its doors?
I opened my very first eatery in London in 2002, so Lussmanns is 20 years old this year! The first Lussmanns fish and grill restaurant opened its doors in Hertford in 2004. Its success then led on to the opening of three more restaurants in Hertfordshire: St Albans, Hitchin and Harpenden. We opened the Berkhamsted restaurant in December 2021, bringing the number of Lussmanns Sustainable Kitchen restaurants (its new identity) in Hertfordshire to five.
Can you tell us a little bit about Lussmanns’ background?
I’ve always been passionate about the hospitality industry and got my first job in the industry at 16 before studying hospitality and business at university. While studying, I held down three jobs as a student, even running a petrol station.
My passion for hospitality developed from his experience selling everything from Japanese sushi to home-made bread – I even worked the bar at 1980s super-band Duran Duran’s club in Birmingham.
The hospitality industry thrived in the 1990s, with many pioneers leading the way with their vision of the future of dining out. It was fast becoming more mainstream and less of an ‘occasion’ activity, and this was very exciting to me. When Pizza Express burst onto the scene in the middle of the decade it revolutionised the way people had eaten out and I found myself in a senior position in the organisation and wanted to be a part of this hospitality renaissance.
I opened my first cafe in London's Ladbroke Grove in 2002 (cooking for none other than David Bowie at one point) and over the next two decades I have opened five Hertfordshire restaurants which are now the Lussmanns Sustainable Kitchen restaurant group.
How would you describe the ethos of Lussmanns?
Lussmanns is founded on the fundamental belief that it's possible to be ethical and profitable, while making sustainable dining accessible to everyone, and consistently delivering great food, service and value to diners.
Lussmanns has won MSC UK Menu of the Year twice now (congratulations!) What are your personal favourite dishes from the menu?
They change frequently because the menu changes a lot with new specials all the time. However, I think probably my top two are the free-range Label Anglais chicken schnitzel with chilli and caper linguine and garden and herb salad, and the MSC Hake puttanesca and frites, with olives anchovies and tomatoes.
It’s great to see Lussmanns has done so much to give back to its local communities. Could you tell us a little more about this?
We obviously work with many sustainability and environmental organisations such as Save The Sea and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, but we believe that supporting local community groups is part of the sustainability ethos in practice, so it’s very important to Lussmanns to do this. I think we’ve raised in the region of £50,000 over the past 15 years for local good causes and have supported literally hundreds, including Youth Talk, Herts Homeless, Muscle Help Foundation, Trussell Trust (food banks), Mind in Herts, Rennie Grove Hospice… the list goes on.
We also try to shine a light on causes by holding events, such as last October when my team at Lussmanns St Albans hosted the Brilliant Breakfast, with the BBC’s Martine Croxall and Daisy Cooper, in aid of The Prince’s Trust’s Women Supporting Women initiative, raising lots of money and getting a lot of press coverage too.
What does Lussmanns have planned for the rest of 2022?
So much! We only opened Berkhamsted a few months ago and we’ve just opened the garden there - which has around 70 covers in it, which is the most in the area, so getting all the umbrellas and furniture for that shipped in has been a big task. We’ve also opened an al fresco terrace in St Albans so that’s new. We are always revising our menus and adding new specials and looking for ways to improve our offering. And of course, I am always on the lookout for ways to extend the Lussmanns brand and ethos further afield - so maybe outside of Hertfordshire next. Watch this space!
A huge thank you to Andrei and the Lussmanns team for being this month’s Local Business Spotlight. Whether you’re planning a lavish get-together or an intimate date night, Lussmanns promises a warm welcome, delicious modern cuisine and a memorable experience. Find out more and book your table at www.lussmanns.com.
