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Customers are more friendly when they've had a meal.

I definitely at times notice a difference in service when I go out. You know, I can walk in to grab a cup of coffee or walk in to have lunch or dinner, and people definitely seem on their best behavior, which is funny, or I start to see people clean up around me, which I always find really, really amusing.

I don't like to sit still for long at all, which has probably helped me along the way, and partly why I was drawn to the heat of a restaurant kitchen. The rush of service means that you're always on your toes and keeps a chef pretty active.

For me, good service is efficient and discreet; it's that critical balance. As soon as the client sits down, the communication flow has to start. Customers need to feel that the waiters are supervised - that there's a system in place.

As a restaurateur, my job is to basically control the chaos and the drama. There's always going to be chaos in the restaurant business.

I love the intensity of the fine-dining kitchen, but loathe the fine-dining experience.

Room service? Send up a larger room.

After working for TV, you realise that the majority of the population still wonders where their next meal is coming from.

Waiters are like actors waiting in the wings, bantering whenever we passed each other on the restaurant floor, shouting at each other backstage in the kitchen and winking and corpsing above the heads of our audience, the unsuspecting customers.

The average housewife goes to the restaurant to relax and enjoy the food. But when Eva walks in, she becomes the center of attention.