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Without Reservation: Lessons From a Life in Restaurants
Jeremy King is one of the world’s leading restaurateurs. In this brilliant new book he shares wit and wisdom from his 40-year career and gives us deep insight into some of life’s most intriguing issues
The peerless Jeremy King is the founder of such iconic London restaurants and grand brasseries, as Le Caprice in the 80s, the Ivy in the 90s, the Wolseley in the 2000s to the Arlington in the 2020s, among many others. He believes that restaurants are microcosms of all life that can teach us so much. There is a curious intimacy between guest and restaurateur, and he has been witness to much heartbreak, failures and challenges, as well as celebrations.
In this wonderfully entertaining memoir he describes his life in hospitality and spills 50 years of anecdotes and true happenings as well as life lessons. He talks of the mystery of solo diners, why you should always look the waiter in the eye and misperceptions about which are the best tables. Over the years he has found himself confided in and refereeing disputes, and his counsel has been sought widely; ‘Well, Jeremy told me…’
Here he gives a series of incredibly valuable and wise life lessons on everything from the art of a quick ‘no thanks’ to trickier dispute resolution. He also shares some of the secrets of his one-of-a-kind restaurants as well as memories of stand-out guests like Lucian Freud, Harold Pinter and Lauren Bacall.
The peerless Jeremy King is the founder of such iconic London restaurants and grand brasseries, as Le Caprice in the 80s, the Ivy in the 90s, the Wolseley in the 2000s to the Arlington in the 2020s, among many others. He believes that restaurants are microcosms of all life that can teach us so much. There is a curious intimacy between guest and restaurateur, and he has been witness to much heartbreak, failures and challenges, as well as celebrations.
In this wonderfully entertaining memoir he describes his life in hospitality and spills 50 years of anecdotes and true happenings as well as life lessons. He talks of the mystery of solo diners, why you should always look the waiter in the eye and misperceptions about which are the best tables. Over the years he has found himself confided in and refereeing disputes, and his counsel has been sought widely; ‘Well, Jeremy told me…’
Here he gives a series of incredibly valuable and wise life lessons on everything from the art of a quick ‘no thanks’ to trickier dispute resolution. He also shares some of the secrets of his one-of-a-kind restaurants as well as memories of stand-out guests like Lucian Freud, Harold Pinter and Lauren Bacall.
- GenresNonfiction
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2025
46 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 6, 2026
Fantastic! If you work in hospitality then you have to read this. This man has seen it all.
January 30, 2026
Here’s the thing, the portfolio of Corbin and King restaurants (at least prior to King’s ousting in 2022) have been amongst my favourites. And they remain excellent, and largely unchanged, under a post-C&K ownership. So I am biased.
So to the book… Well, it is part autobiography, and part guidebook on how to do hospitality really well. Both halves, whilst fascinating, seem to fall strangely short. For instance, King lectures on the importance of detail and fully understanding a situation before you head into it. But then separately tells of a piece of work he did for IAG (the airline group) whilst thinking throughout that they were IHG (them of the hotels). He also shares his pet peeve, diners who, rather than converse with their guests, just regale them with anecdotes. Yet this book is broadly just a vast collection of anecdotes. Anomalies aside, I think it makes for compelling reading for anyone working in hospitality.
As to the more personal stuff, King’s restaurant empire was built with Chris, his business partner, hence Corbin and King. We learn how they got together, but little else. What did CC bring to the party, and where has he vanished to - as vanished he most certainly did/has - at least in this book. Ultimately the C&K empire was ‘forcibly’ taken from Jeremy King in 2022. But how? Why? There’s a passing reference to the other shareholding party (Minor) wanting to open a bunch of Wolseley’s (their flagship place) abroad, and JK not wanting to. In the end, King lost everything; and whilst he’s just about to open his third new restaurant since going solo, Minor have opened no new Wolseleys. Forgive me for concluding there was much more to it than King is sharing.
I sense that my review is much more about King and his restaurants than the book. But then some people have an opinion on a book, and some people don’t. Everyone, however, has an opinion when it comes to food.
So to the book… Well, it is part autobiography, and part guidebook on how to do hospitality really well. Both halves, whilst fascinating, seem to fall strangely short. For instance, King lectures on the importance of detail and fully understanding a situation before you head into it. But then separately tells of a piece of work he did for IAG (the airline group) whilst thinking throughout that they were IHG (them of the hotels). He also shares his pet peeve, diners who, rather than converse with their guests, just regale them with anecdotes. Yet this book is broadly just a vast collection of anecdotes. Anomalies aside, I think it makes for compelling reading for anyone working in hospitality.
As to the more personal stuff, King’s restaurant empire was built with Chris, his business partner, hence Corbin and King. We learn how they got together, but little else. What did CC bring to the party, and where has he vanished to - as vanished he most certainly did/has - at least in this book. Ultimately the C&K empire was ‘forcibly’ taken from Jeremy King in 2022. But how? Why? There’s a passing reference to the other shareholding party (Minor) wanting to open a bunch of Wolseley’s (their flagship place) abroad, and JK not wanting to. In the end, King lost everything; and whilst he’s just about to open his third new restaurant since going solo, Minor have opened no new Wolseleys. Forgive me for concluding there was much more to it than King is sharing.
I sense that my review is much more about King and his restaurants than the book. But then some people have an opinion on a book, and some people don’t. Everyone, however, has an opinion when it comes to food.
January 15, 2026
"Beware the old man in a profession where men usually die young". Oft said about knights in the medieval era, this could equally be applied to those in the restaurant industry, which is characterised by fast changes in fashion, brutal competition and zero barriers to entry. We should therefore listen when a grandmaster of the culinary scene, in this case Jeremy King, dispenses his wisdom.
And there are some gems in "Without Reservation". A particular highlight was King showing his thought process on dealing with customer theft of branded ashtrays from Le Caprice, which he estimated cost the restaurant £25k a year, not small beer in the industry. King inverts it (Munger would be proud) to think of it as marketing expense as all those little ashtrays would sit on mantlepieces or garden tables and remind customers to go back (he also notes the psychological impact of potential guilt on the decision process).
But aside from the hard-won knowledge on restaurants, where the book surprises is in its simple advice offered on life. As an example, King notes "Unless you are genuinely unsure, always make your ‘nos’ quick ones, because the seemingly kind ‘That’s an interesting idea–let me think about it’ only leads to false hope and agonising delays in telling the truth". There is much like this and more, all of it written in an easy and unpretentious manner.
In all, there is much to be learned from reading "Without Reservation", whether you are an aspiring restaurateur, an investor trying to evaluate what constitutes an edge in restaurants, or merely a frequent customer wanting to learn how to ingratiate yourself with the staff to get your preferred table.
And there are some gems in "Without Reservation". A particular highlight was King showing his thought process on dealing with customer theft of branded ashtrays from Le Caprice, which he estimated cost the restaurant £25k a year, not small beer in the industry. King inverts it (Munger would be proud) to think of it as marketing expense as all those little ashtrays would sit on mantlepieces or garden tables and remind customers to go back (he also notes the psychological impact of potential guilt on the decision process).
But aside from the hard-won knowledge on restaurants, where the book surprises is in its simple advice offered on life. As an example, King notes "Unless you are genuinely unsure, always make your ‘nos’ quick ones, because the seemingly kind ‘That’s an interesting idea–let me think about it’ only leads to false hope and agonising delays in telling the truth". There is much like this and more, all of it written in an easy and unpretentious manner.
In all, there is much to be learned from reading "Without Reservation", whether you are an aspiring restaurateur, an investor trying to evaluate what constitutes an edge in restaurants, or merely a frequent customer wanting to learn how to ingratiate yourself with the staff to get your preferred table.
February 1, 2026
Jeremy King is a dangerous man to know. Which is to say that so many of the people he name-checks in his memoir are - he tells us by way of what is almost a literary tic - no longer with us/gone too soon/passed away/juzst plain dead. This becomes so prevalent, his journey seems seems at times more like a trip to the graveyard than down memory lane.
That apart, King is a wonderful restauranteur who clearly loves what he does. The 'lessons I've learned' general business wisdom was for me the best part of the book. Interestingly, he glosses over the way he lost his empire (maybe there's an NDA in place?) which is a pity, because it must have been devastating.
Quick read, and a bit of a curate's egg with a side of Marmite. Three stars is a bit mean - it's a solid 7/10 and worth a look.
That apart, King is a wonderful restauranteur who clearly loves what he does. The 'lessons I've learned' general business wisdom was for me the best part of the book. Interestingly, he glosses over the way he lost his empire (maybe there's an NDA in place?) which is a pity, because it must have been devastating.
Quick read, and a bit of a curate's egg with a side of Marmite. Three stars is a bit mean - it's a solid 7/10 and worth a look.
December 29, 2025
Passages about good hospitality I found a bit moving. King, however, wasn't one to dwell on his faults. The emotional toll of losing his Empire in 2022 must have been particularly galling; it would be nice to read a genuine account of why that happened (other than "Covid!") as well stories from his marriages etc, which fed into his view of Hospiality!
Character portraits were interesting (particularly, Harold Pinter Lucian Freud etc) and I was moved by perfect tale of French hospitality at end of the book.
In all - not a very deep affair, but a decent enough Xmas read.
Character portraits were interesting (particularly, Harold Pinter Lucian Freud etc) and I was moved by perfect tale of French hospitality at end of the book.
In all - not a very deep affair, but a decent enough Xmas read.
January 18, 2026
Such great anecdotes. Just 1 star less bcos there was so much British context that I just couldn’t relate to!
Otherwise some snips I loved form the book
- his 3 rules (never accept to do something you wouldn’t in the future, when declining give a quick no, never give an excuse or explanation)
- dinner party test (are you proud of what you do for a living)
- never delegate unless you have full confidence in their ability
Otherwise some snips I loved form the book
- his 3 rules (never accept to do something you wouldn’t in the future, when declining give a quick no, never give an excuse or explanation)
- dinner party test (are you proud of what you do for a living)
- never delegate unless you have full confidence in their ability
December 9, 2025
A definite 3.8. Something I picked up and thought I would skim but was quickly hooked. An old school insight into dining in London with bits of gossip and how to manage rich drunk people. A surprisingly interesting read with a sort of manual of how to be in life. Worth a read.
January 18, 2026
Poignant life lessons. Some fascinating anecdotes about Pinter and Freud. Slightly self-aggrandising and lots of details skipped out (what happened when he sold his busiensses!? What about the chefs?!). What a remarkable man though!
November 26, 2025
Enjoyable glimpse into the life one of London’s restaurateurs. Immediately booked a table to my favourite restaurant after finishing.
December 26, 2025
Can I give zero. A shallow stupid book. Ego and name dropping.
January 15, 2026
4.5 rounded down based on the audiobook
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews