The quarter-final took place in October at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London and saw the highest number of entrants reach this stage of the competition. With more than 100 qualifying this year, candidates were tested through personal interviews, written assessments and a table layout test.

Chair of judges, Edward Griffiths, said: “The standard of entries this year was incredible and narrowing the pool of quarter-finalists – the highest number of entrants we’ve ever had qualifying for the quarter-finals – was really difficult for the judges. We can’t wait for the semi-final where they will face further assessments, allowing them to demonstrate more of their front-of-house skills.”

The 40 semi-finalists selected to go on to the next round of the competition at Rosewood London on 20 November will include:

  • Rizwan Khan, General Manager, Junsei, London
  • Vanessa Rieder, Head Waiter, Claridge’s Restaurant at Claridge’s
  • Fanny Descouts, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay
  • Roberto Villani, Assistant Head Waiter, Hélène Darroze at the Connaught
  • Vaibhav Chhetri, Food and Beverage Supervisor, A Wong, London
  • Ciro Capasso, Restaurant Supervisor, The Dorchester
  • Alex Sollis, Guest Relations Manager, The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
  • Kyle Bryant, Wedding and Events Manager, Clevedon Hall, Somerset
  • Joseph Gregory, Storyteller, The Fat Duck, Berkshire
  • Callum Robertson, Floor Manager, Mauro Colagreco at Raffles at the OWO
  • Luca Trento, Head Waiter, The Ritz
  • Andrea Di Gangi, Restaurant Supervisor, Pavyllon at Four Seasons on Park Lane
  • Liam Wainwright, Head Waiter, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
  • Daisy Hudson, Restaurant Supervisor, The Clockspire Restaurant & Bar, Somerset
  • Blue Everton, Events Waitress, Hotel Cafe Royal
  • Diana-Carolina Chong, Restaurant Supervisor, Kerridge’s, Corinthia London
  • Etienne Harding, Assistant Restaurant Manager, The Goring Hotel
  • Serena Fedele, Cocktail Waitress, The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel
  • Diana Zebro, Head Waitress, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester
  • Rosa De Rosa, Head Waitress, Claridge’s
  • Rohit Sharma, Senior Waiter, The Greyhound Pub and Dining, Buckinghamshire
  • Joe Southwood, Assistant Lounge Manager, Corinthia London
  • Daniel Ecock, Food & Beverage Manager in Training, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
  • Scott Crowe, Supervisor, Number One, Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
  • Simona Federová, Chef de Rang, The Ritz
  • Francesca Merico, Assistant Manager, St Vincent Restaurant, Newcastle
  • Tilly Morris, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Grove of Narberth, Pembrokeshire
  • Serena Buono, Assistant Manager, Royal Automobile Club, Surrey
  • Alanna Cross, Food and Beverage Supervisor, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park Hotel, Berkshire
  • Bethany Chawner, Event Operations Manager, Grantley Hall, Yorkshire
  • Federico Deppieri, Head Waiter, The Ritz
  • Daniel Mulcahy, Restaurant Supervisor, CUT at 45 Park Lane, London
  • Fatima Patel, Event Operations Manager, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
  • Alice Law, Chef de Rang, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
  • Fabrizia Welman, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Hearth, Heckfield Place, Hampshire
  • Annabel Rohm, Restaurant Assistant Manager, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
  • Isabella Condon, Head Waiter, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
  • Holly Power, F&B Manager in Training, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
  • Freya Ruston, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
  • Leo Levinson, Head Waiter, Claridge’s

The final will take place on 15 January 2024 at the Corinthia London, with the Scholar named at an awards ceremony on 5 February at Claridge’s in London.

The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 to inspire the UK’s up and coming front-of-house talent in food and beverage through mentoring, travel and placement opportunities, nurturing the leaders of the future.

Each year’s scholar and winning finalists receive a range of prizes tailored to support their professional development, from trips to Champagne, Tokaji, Porto, and Mosel; a bespoke development programme at EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland; and the opportunity to work a state visit to Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle; to  work experience at prestigious hotels and restaurants such as the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok; an overseas Rocco Forte Hotel; the Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire; and Gleneagles in Perthshire.