It's fair to say that running a restaurant isn't the easiest of jobs. The frenetic pace of service, long days and pressure of making ends meet isn't for the faint hearted, and for most in the kitchen and on the restaurant floor, it soon becomes a vocation rather than a nine to five (and not just because nine to five rarely exists in hospitality...). So signing up to run a restaurant with your significant other could be more than a bit risky; we're told not to mix business with pleasure, and to draw a line between our work and personal lives. After all, who wants to bring their stress home?

But there's a case to be made for going all in together, particularly in such a demanding environment. Whether it's the lengthy, unsociable hours, or the uniqueness of the restaurant world (it's tricky to draw too many parallels between a professional kitchen and a typical office), the bond of working in hospitality is what brings so many couples together in the first place. It's surely easier to share in the ups and downs together and it's ultimately a huge thing to have in common. From the shorthand of communicating with the person who knows you best to understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses, there are plenty of reasons why teaming up with your other half can be both a rewarding and efficient decision.

Here, we've met just a handful of the couples who have taken the plunge and decided to go into business together. Most met through work and have combined their skills, taking on front of house and the kitchen, for example, to share their dream of running a restaurant.

Cal and Siân first met while working at Newcastle's Jesmond Dene House and soon discovered they shared a dream of opening their own restaurant. But it wasn't until a few years later, during the first Covid lockdown, that it started to become a possibility after they visited an empty building which caught their eye. It became their debut restaurant Pine, which opened its doors in May 2021 and, just nine months later, was awarded both its first Michelin Star and Green Star in the 2022 guide. Cal heads up the kitchen, while Siân leads front of house; when we spoke to her about all things service, she said their relationship brings the wider teams closer together and bridge any divides.

When Rafael Cagali and Charlie Lee, who met while working at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck, opened their restaurant Da Terra at the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green in 2019, it soon became one of London's hottest spots and within two years had earned two Michelin Stars. Rafael helms the kitchen and Charlie is its general manager; he's also echoed Siân's comments about their relationship bringing the team together: 'We do have our moments, obviously, but it creates a strong bond between the teams, it brings everyone together.'

Tom and Matilda Tsappis first met while working in Japan. Though his career was in finance, missing his favourite dishes from home inspired Tom to start cooking (he remembers the couple preparing crab in the early days; 'we had no idea how it open it up, so we basically smashed it up with a hammer - it was everywhere'). When they returned, Tom moved into a culinary career full-time, studying at Leiths and launching a supper club which ran for two and a half years (Matilda has a marketing background, but oversaw front of house). Looking for a new chapter when the pandemic hit, they viewed properties in Scotland, where Matilda grew up, and settled on Killiecrankie House in Pitlochry, where they take a refined, playful approach to Scottish cooking (they also have a sake menu, thanks to Matilda's expertise – you can read her thoughts on sake here).

Chef James Knappett and sommelier and Champagne expert Sandia Chang co-founded Kitchen Table in 2012. James started his career at the likes of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Petrus, before the pair met while working at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York. They moved to Noma in Denmark together before returning to London to launch their own restaurant. Kitchen Table has consistently been met with acclaim, and achieved its first Michelin Star in 2014, followed by a second in 2018. 

Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki briefly met after they were introduced by a friend while studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London. After reconnecting, they married in 2013 in South Korea before returning to London, where Woongchul worked at The Ledbury and Koffmann's and Bomee trained as a pastry chef at The Arts Club. Two years later, they returned to Korea and joined Milieu restaurant, but came back to London in 2020 to open their debut restaurant Sollip. There, Woongchul oversees the kitchen and Bomee leads all things sweet and pastry. In 2022, their efforts were rewarded with their first Michelin Star.

Chef David Taylor moved to Oslo to join Maaemo (as part of the team which won its third star), where he also met his wife Anette. Though they had planned to stay in Norway, a call from James Hill at Hampton Manor in Hampton-in-Arden, on the edge of Birmingham, convinced them to return to the UK to open their sustainable, seasonal restaurant Grace & Savour. Today, David leads the kitchen at the restaurant while Anette is house manager; in the 2023 Michelin guide the pair were given their first star, just a year after opening. 

Luke French and Stacey Sherwood-French first met at The Milestone, a gastropub in Sheffield, as Luke worked his way up to head chef. Feeling the urge to cook their own food, they began running private dinners for a local architect, who approached them with the chance to open in Krynkl, a four-storey building made out of shipping containers in the city. They ran pop-ups around the city, at the same time beginning work on what would become their tasting menu restaurant Jöro, where they celebrate British ingredients and Asian flavours.

Chef Roberta Hall-McCarron met her husband Shaun while working for The Kitchin Group at Castle Terrace, where she was head chef and he was restaurant manager. The couple left to take on a rural pub and restaurant in Cambridgeshire, where they stayed a year before returning to Edinburgh to open their first restaurant, The Little Chartroom, in 2018.