SME News Managing Director of the Year 2025 / 14 Hospitality IT Solutions MD of the Year 2025: Cliff Gurdin Eat IT Drink IT is an IT partner on a mission to help clients in the hospitality sector who are struggling to streamline their processes and maximise income, through IT solutions that are relevant, operational, and effective. This mission is headed by Cliff Gurdin, a forward-looking individual seeking to revolutionise the sector and ensure that customer experiences are unforgettable for all the right reasons. We caught up with Cliff below, as he is celebrated in the Managing Director of the Year Awards 2025. Hospitality is an incredibly fast-paced environment, and employees must already juggle a number of responsibilities without being distracted by IT systems that do not work effectively. Instead, they should be equipped with the right tools, systems, and solutions to provide a seamless service to their guests. Since 2006, Eat IT Drink IT has been on a mission to address this rising challenge, providing expert consultation, installation, support, and serving for clients across the restaurant and bar industry, whether catering to an independent café, a chain of restaurants or a 5 star hotel. Eat IT Drink IT is headed by Founder and Managing Director, Cliff Gurdin. Cliff worked at senior levels in both the public and private sectors before founding the company, varying his career between frontline IT support management and technical implementation management roles. Equipped with a wealth of experience, Cliff knew that creating his own company was the next logical step for his professional progression – recognising an opportunity in the market for independent expert consultation services, with expert and affordable support available around-the-clock. “My previous roles were ultimately the catalyst for starting my own business,” he told us. “I always felt something was missing; no matter how many hours I worked, the effort I made, or the money I took home, something was not quite right. It wasn’t the need to be in charge or a desire to be at the top; it was really about building something that genuinely filled a gap in the market.” Today, Cliff leads Eat IT Drink IT with an approach grounded in being his genuine self. Honesty and transparency are top priorities at Eat IT Drink IT, meaning that its team witness both triumphs and pitfalls, and receive a blend of praise and constructive criticism where appropriate. Cliff is unwavering in his belief that to not recognise a mistake is to make that mistake again and prefers to comprehensively review operations so that each member of the team understands and learns from their experience. Like many predominantly desk-based roles, working in IT requires resilience. The Eat IT Drink IT team must navigate the complexities of any challenge a client may face – a role that takes a significant level of self-motivation to remain positive, energised, and ready for the next call. For Cliff, this means employing individuals with high energy, possessing a happy, “go-getter” approach to work. When building his team, Cliff prioritises candidates with a drive to learn and those who don’t shy away from a challenge, but instead research and communicate within the team to develop a solution. While Cliff claims that he is not a natural leader, he is aware of his own strengths and weaknesses, and over the last 12 months has brought in a business consultant to specifically observe his leadership capabilities. “I would highly recommend this,” he said, “as a third-party, non-biased view is exceptionally advantageous. I would tell anyone who doubts themselves – and especially those who don’t – to book in with a consultant. It really helped me to grow both the business and my own capabilities.” Now, Cliff is poised to lead the remainder of 2025 and beyond by storm. The team has been playing close attention to the market and has observed robotics to be the next big thing happening in the sector – from table service machines and voice-activated automated order-taking to room service robots and even automated drinks dispensing. Eat IT Drink IT boasts extensive experience within this field, and is now offering free, no obligation trials of the robots to businesses across the UK. Eat IT Drink IT also recognises that the UK is facing significant economic challenges, meaning that businesses across the country are hesitant to recruit staff or begin new projects. With this in mind, the team’s goal for the second half of 2025 and into 2026 is to continue seeking and implementing cost-saving enhancements for its clientele. “We know that if we look after our customers, they will look after us,” Cliff explained. “So, the next 12 months are really about getting our heads down and coming up with some really clever options for our customers.” Contact: Cliff Gurdin Company: Eat IT Drink IT Ltd Web Address: www.eatitdrinkit.co.uk AIS-Jul25247
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