The chef, who previously worked at Gaucho, as area head chef for Jamie’s Italian’s London sites and Scott’s of Mayfair, will take charge of training Beefeater chefs, creating new food offers across the chain’s 140+ sites and creative development.
Fletcher said: “I want to challenge everything on our menu, from how we can make prawn cocktail better to paté, to soup, and also keep up with trends, competitors and challengers out there in the market.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re hitting the current market and giving guests what they really want.”
He said hopes to challenge the stigma that surrounds chain restaurants.
Fresh is best
“You hear about a lot of these high end restaurants in the UK serving fresh produce, sustainable and free range but we strive on this as well,” he said.
“I don’t think we get as much credit as we deserve with the effort we go into when we’re doing research for 140 restaurants, it’s not the same as doing research for one or two.”
Fletcher has already overseen the development of a new summer menu launching across the brand’s portfolio.
Ron Lento, director of food and beverage for Whitbread Restaurants added: “Paul is an incredibly talented chef, proven by his strong track record and fantastic credentials and understands how to deliver a quality menu across a multi-site estate.
“We are delighted to have him on board to continue to develop the food credentials at Beefeater.”
Summer calling
Fellow Whitbread brand Table Table has launched its new summer menu, which features dishes such as paprika chicken salad, pea risotto and red pepper quiche.
Desserts include Eton mess, cherry and apple crumble and Jaffa Cake sundaes.