Restaurant worker applicant numbers have increased by 14% since the recent Hell’s Kitchen television programme aired, according to hospitality recruiter Berkeley Scott.

“Once we accounted for cyclical market trends we could clearly see a correlation between the programme and applications.  About three quarters of the applications came from people without experience who have seen the opportunity to work in the industry at first hand,” says Mark Darby, managing director of Berkeley Scott.

This year’s competitors also seem to have had an effect.  Darby explains that “we have had an increase in older applicants, which is fantastic, spurred on by the effort of Linda Evans”.